


Perfect

by thundercatsarego



Category: Preath, Women's Soccer RPF
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-02
Updated: 2017-03-23
Packaged: 2018-09-21 14:42:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 35,972
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9553175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thundercatsarego/pseuds/thundercatsarego
Summary: Tobin's newly out and is quickly immersed in gay culture with the help of some friends.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everybody! I'm debating on leaving this as a one-shot or potentially expanding on the story if you guys seem interested. Leave a comment to let me know what you think!

"Kling, I appreciate your enthusiasm, but don't you think I should ease into the whole being out thing? This seems excessive." Tobin says as she's dragged by the hand through a crowed street.

The air is sticky and humid from a rain shower that had just let up not an hour earlier. Rainbow colored lights reflect off the wet pavement and low rumbling beats reverberate against the brick buildings lining the streets.

Tobin had only been to the gay district once, but it took her so many drinks to muster up the courage to get there, she doesn't remember the experience, except the part where she threw up in the bushes outside one of the clubs.

"Ok, maybe I went a little overboard, but I'm just so excited that I have a wing woman now!" Kling says, looking over her shoulder at an apprehensive Tobin. She continues, teasing playfully, "And who knows, maybe I'll have to be your wing woman tonight."

Tobin lets out a sarcastic laugh, "Yeah ok. Whatever you say." Tobin knew full well she wasn't ready to actually interact with a girl, let alone try to pick her up. It took a 20 minute pep talk with her reflection in the bathroom mirror earlier this evening to even make it this far.

The problem with coming out later in life is that the 'awkward fumbling through sexual encounters' stage is significantly delayed, and instead of it happening at 13 and 14 like most people, you're stumbling through the ins and outs of flirtatious banter during your early 20's. At least there's alcohol in your 20's.

Tobin's shaken from her thoughts as Kling pulls them off to the side to stand against a building. "Ok here's the plan. If I see any cuties, I'll go over and talk to them. If I pull my earlobe, that's the signal that I need backup. If I rub the back of my neck, that's the signal to get me outta there, so just come over and ask if I need to go to the bathroom or something so I have an out."

Tobin looks at Kling with a raised eyebrow. "Is this what picking up girls is always like? It's so complicated."

Kling laughs and rolls her eyes "Just come on. You'll figure it out."

Kling motions for Tobin to follow her to a nearby entryway and pulls out her ID, showing it to the bouncer. Tobin follows suit, and quickly shuffles into the bar behind Kling. As Tobin step inside, she's hit with a wall of noise and color. Lights flash vibrantly to the beat of electronic music, and bodies move to the rhythm on the dance floor in an undulating sea of sweat and skin. Tobin takes a deep breath, hoping it will calm her nerves and release the knot in her stomach. She coaches herself internally. "You talk to girls all the time, just because you're in a gay bar doesn't make it any different. Just be cool."

"Come on, lets get a drink." Kling shouts over the music as she leads them to the bar and orders them both a shot and a beer to sip on. Taking the shot immediately, the alcohol stings as it slides down Tobin's throat, and the cheap beer does little to mask the unpleasant sensation. She coughs to relieve the burning in her chest and Kling gives her a rough pat on the back, "Come on champ, lets do a lap. See what the prospects are like tonight."

Like the rest of the night thus far, Tobin lets Kling guide them through the crowded club. Tobin's eyes dart from one unfamiliar face to another, watching as both men and women look her up and down as she passes. She feels like an antelope walking through a pride of lions licking their chops, all ready to pounce if given the chance. She's always been a fairly confident person and didn't care too much about what others thought of her, but walking through the throngs of people made her feel as if every pair of eyes were on her, sizing her up. She felt immensely uncomfortable.

Luckily, Kling leads them to an outside patio area. It's less crowded and the music is dampened significantly, making it easier to think. Taking a deep breath of the fresh cool air, Tobin starts to calm down and feels her nerves finally settle. The alcohol was starting to kick in a bit and Tobin let it relax her.

This feeling doesn't last long as Kling grabs her shoulder and shakes her violently. "Oh my god, don't look, but that girl over there with the blond hair, I've seen her here a couple of times but I've never had the guts to talk to her. BUUUT, now that you're here, you can make me look good if I start flailing in front of her."

Tobin inconspicuously glances over Kling's shoulder and sees a cute blond girl around their age standing with a couple of friends, laughing loudly to show just how much fun they're having.

"You gonna go talk to her? Do you need me to go with you?" Tobin asks.

"No, I think it's better if I go alone first, but wait over here and keep an eye on me so if I need backup, you can swoop in and tell her how amazing I am." Kling gives her a wink.

Tobin nods, understanding the plan. "Ok, good luck buddy." She gives her a thumbs up as Kling walks away in the direction of the blond.

Now standing alone, Tobin walks a few paces to lean up against the bar in an effort to look a little less lost. She sips on her beer and surveys the crowd of people, circling her gaze back to Kling every so often to make sure she isn't throwing up the bat signal. Tobin smiles to herself, watching Kling interact with the girl and her friends, obviously entertaining them as they laugh along with her.

Her gaze is interrupted suddenly by a sequined tank top and a pair of breasts not so subtly peaking out from the collar

"Hi, my name's Angie. I couldn't help but notice you were all alone over here by yourself."

Tobin looks up to meet her gaze and take in her features. She's older than Tobin, maybe early thirties, with bright pink lips covered in sticky gloss. Her brown hair is teased into a half up, half down ponytail thing, and her breath smells of alcohol and cigarettes. Not exactly Tobin's type.

Tobin clears her throat, "Uh, yeah just hanging out...waiting for a friend." Tobin says. She tries not to be dismissive, but at the same time, signal that she's not really interested. The woman doesn't seem to get Tobin's subtle hints.

"Well that's not very nice to make you wait by yourself. Can I keep you company while you wait? Buy you a drink?" Angie offers.

Tobin looks at her nearly empty beer and swirls its' remaining contents unconvincingly. "Oh, no that's ok. I'm good actually." Tobin looks in the direction of Kling, praying that she'll feel Tobin's eyes burning into her, but Kling is too enthralled with the blond to notice Tobin squirming in her spot.

"Oh come on, one drink. That's all. A pretty girl like you shouldn't have to pay for a drink." Tobin can feel the woman inching closer to her, leaning in slightly, pinning Tobin against the bar with no escape.

She panics and fumbles for a way to get out "I...uh..."

Suddenly, she feels a warm hand wrap around her bicep, pulling her down the bar. "There you are baby! I was looking all over for you." A dark haired girl with tanned skin pulls Tobin close next to her, placing a gentle kiss on the side of Tobin's cheek.

Confused, Tobin looks at the girl, and then back at Angie, who looks equally confused and slightly pissed off. She feels an elbow in her side and the tanned girl gives her a look, trying to communicate with her eyes to play along. Tobin's eyes light up when the message is received and clears her throat,

"Yeah! Hi...you. Here I am, you found me." She chuckles self consciously.

The girl turns toward Angie. "Thanks for keeping my girlfriend company while she waited for me. I appreciate it. Can I get you a drink?"

Angie backs away and crosses her arms across her chest, grumbling. "No that's alright, you two have fun." She eyes them suspiciously one last time before turning away and walking back into the club.

Tobin breathes a sigh of relief and downs the final remnants of her beer.

"Sorry about that. You looked super panicked and uncomfortable, I had to do something." The dark haired girl explains, backing away and letting her hand drop from Tobin's arm. Tobin's skin cools and prickles with goosebumps at the loss of the warm hand around it.

"No no, that's ok! Thank you actually. I didn't know how I was gonna get out of that situation." Tobin chuckles.

"Yeah she wasn't taking a hint was she?" The girl laughs along.

"No, not from me anyway." Tobin's laugh dies down as they maintain eye contact.

The girl sticks out her hand and breaks the silence. "I'm Christen by the way."

Tobin grabs her hand firmly, accepting her handshake "Tobin, nice to put a name to my rescuer." As they shake hands, Tobin realizes just how beautiful the girl is. Her hair is dark and curly, framing her high cheek bones and stunning jawline. Her lips are curled in an infectious smile and her lips are stained just slightly with lipstick. Then there are her eyes, a kind of greyish-green surrounded by long thick lashes that bat against her lids, drawing in Tobin's gaze.

After a moment, they drop their hands and stand together as a beat of silence passes. Tobin shuffles and fumbles to break the silence. "Uh, can I get you a drink? For helping me out I mean." Tobin says shyly.

"Sure. I'll have what you're having." Christen responds easily.

Tobin spins around to flag down the bartender, ordering beers for both of them. She hands one to Christen and takes a drink of hers, parching her now dry mouth.

"So are you really waiting for your friend?" Christen asks as she takes her beer from Tobin.

"Yeah kind of. See that small girl with the short brown hair talking to the blond? I'm supposed to be her wing woman tonight." Tobin says, pointing in the direction of Kling.

As if on cue, Kling is suddenly pulled by the blond into a heated kiss. Tobin's jaw drops and Tobin and Christen burst into a fit of laughter at this display. "Wow, you must be one hell of a wing woman." Christen jokes.

Still laughing, Tobin shakes her head, "No, I swear I didn't do anything. That was all Kling."

"Kling huh? Is that some sort of nickname?" Christen asks

"Yeah. Actually it seems appropriate given her present circumstances." Tobin jokes dryly, watching as her teammates hands run up and down the blond's back feverishly as they remain entwined in their lip lock.

Christen laughs. "So you guys must be pretty good friends if you let her drag you out here just to leave you for a make out session."

Tobin smiles, bringing the beer to her lips and taking a drink before she speaks. "Yeah we're pretty close. We're roommates and we play for the same team."

"I'm assuming you're an athlete and not just using the troupe 'playing for the same team' as a figure of speech." Christen teases

Tobin blushes slightly, still not completely comfortable declaring her sexuality to strangers, even if it is in a gay bar. "I mean, I guess you could say we play for the same team in both regards." She says softly, trying to mask the uneasiness in he voice.

"Well, that's a relief, I'm not pretending to be a straight girl's girlfriend for once." Christen says wryly. Tobin picks up on an undertone of annoyance? Pain? She can't quite put her finger on it as she watches Christen take a long drink of her beer.

Tobin chuckles, tilting her head to the side, questioning, "What do you mean?"

Christen lowers the bottle from her mouth, licking beer from her lips before they curl into a flirtatious smile. " Why don't we get out of here and I'll tell you." Her voice changes from a friendly candor, to smooth and sweet like honey, the words buzzing in Tobin's ears.

Tobin swallows harshly, her nerves making her throat clench and hands sweat. She manages to look up at Christen and immediately regrets it. Her green eyes draw Tobin in like a moth to a flame and make her heart pound even harder. She wonders if Christen can hear it thumping against her chest over the dance music. Christen says nothing as she waits for a reply, but her lips form a crooked smile.

Before she knows it, Tobin's being lead, again, through the traffic of the club and out into the damp street once more. She opens her mouth to protest, but her breath is taken away by the sight of the tanned girl in front of her, smiling and laughing as she pulls Tobin along the empty street. Tobin's enthralled by how carefree she looks against the backdrop of the moon-lit city, hair flowing behind her shoulders, her boots clicking against the pavement, her eyes inviting Tobin to follow wherever she's leading.

They don't go far, maybe a block or two, to a nearby high rise condo. Christen retrieves a key from her pocket and leads them into the lobby and up the elevator. As they stand side by side in the elevator, Tobin realizes that her fingers are still laced together with Christen's from being lead to this unfamiliar building. She looks over at Christen and is met with a small, kind smile. Christen brings her free hand up to Tobin's face and tucks the stray hair behind her ear, letting her hand linger on her neck.

"Hey, are you ok?" Christen asks softly, studying Tobin's reaction intently.

"Yeah, I mean, I guess." Tobin replies. Though, to be honest, she's not really sure how she feels. The whole night had kind of happened in a whirlwind and she hadn't really had time to process any of it. Here she is, standing in an elevator, in a building she doesn't know the name of, with a girl she met less than an hour ago. Is she supposed to feel totally ok? Is this what normal people do? Is this just how it works?

"You just look kind of, I don't know, lost or something. I can't put my finger on it." Christen says, looking puzzled.

"Well to be fair, I don't know where we are." Tobin shrugs.

Christen smiles at this, and the elevator doors open into a hallway. She leads them past a couple of doors until she retrieves her key once again and opens up the door.

"You're at my condo. Does that make you feel any better?" Christen enters through the doorway and motions for Tobin to follow. Tobin hears Christen latch the door closed behind them as she takes in her surroundings. The space is large and open with a kitchen to her right, a dining area to her left, and a large living area with a sectional couch at the back.

"Come on in, make yourself comfortable. Do you want anything to drink? Wine? Beer? I think I have a bottle of whiskey somewhere." Christen trails off as she goes through her kitchen cabinets.

"Wine sounds good." Tobin says as she walks farther into the space.

She goes around the kitchen and pulls out a stool to sit at the kitchen island. She watches as Christen retrieves two glasses and pours some red wine from an already opened bottle.

She hands over a glass to Tobin "I hope red's ok." She says simply, maintaining eye contact as she takes a sip.

Tobin nods "Yeah, I'm not picky."

Christen stands across the island and leans on her elbows as they sip their wine wordlessly.

"I like your place." Tobin interjects in an attempt to drum up conversation.

"Thanks, I haven't been here that long. Maybe a month or so. Anyway, it doesn't quite have that homey feel to it yet. You know what I mean?" Christen suggests

Tobin nods. "Yeah I get that. So what does it need to make it feel like home?"

Christen ponders a second "A dog." She says with a grin.

Tobin laughs at this "Oh so you're a dog person then. I could seen a little pooch running around in here."

Christen shakes her head. "Oh no, I want a big, hairy, slobbery dog. One you can wrestle, and go on walks with, and cuddle at night." Christen rambles.

Chucking Tobin responds, "Sounds like a girlfriend to me, minus the slobbery part. Unless you're into that sorta thing."

Christen looks at Tobin, contemplating her statement. "Huh. Yeah I guess you're kinda right." Christen takes another drink of wine before setting her glass down and walking over to the side of the counter where Tobin sits. She leans with her back against the counter, eye to eye with Tobin. "And for the record, I'm not into slobbering. One of the many reasons I don't date men."

Tobin smiles at this, and watches as Christen brings her hand up to the tips of Tobin's long wavy hair, twirling it between her fingers. Christen brings her bottom lip between her teeth before speaking in a low hushed voice "So you want to see the rest of my house?"

Tobin may be newly out, but she's not an idiot. She knows what Christen's hinting at, and despite her better judgement, or any rational thinking on her part at all, Tobin merely nods her head and follows Christen into her room. She has no idea what she's doing, but figures there's no turning back now, and just hopes she can figure it out as she goes. That's how she lives the rest of her life, why should this be any different?

The room is dimly lit by a lamp in the corner and a large queen sized bed takes up the center of the room.

"So this is where the magic happens huh?" Tobin jokes.

Smiling flirtatiously, Christen takes a few steps toward Tobin and closes the gap between them. Tobin instinctively takes a step backwards but her shoulder blades hit the door before she can retreat any farther.

Meanwhile, Christen's body brushes against Tobin's as they stand face to face, inches apart. Tobin's breath hitches in her throat as Christen leans in to whisper in her ear "Wouldn't you like to know."

Before she has a chance to respond, Tobin feels Christen placing feather-light kisses against her neck right under her ear. Chills of pleasure run up and down her spine and she involuntarily lets out a sigh. Christen must have heard this reaction, as she then starts kissing more aggressively against Tobin's neck, using her tongue and teeth to make a mark on the sensitive area.

Tobin leans against the door, needing it's support to stand on her own. Her breathing picks up as her body responds significantly to Christen's touch. Her parted lips are soon covered by Christen's as she tastes her teasing lips against her own. Christen's lips are soft and work slowly against Tobin's as she methodically brings Tobin's bottom lip between her own.

Tobin had kissed girls before, but it had always been sloppy, while drunk, and usually so the other girl could get the attention of some frat guy. This was incomparable.

Her body buzzed with excitement and a new energy she hadn't felt before. She wanted more and was willing to let her body drive her through this new experience.

She places her hands on Christen's hips, bringing her in closer until their bodies are flush against each other's. Tobin doesn't know where to focus her attention; the feeling of her lips against Christen's, how their breasts graze against each other, how Christen's hips are rocking ever so slightly into her own. But as Christen's tongue makes its way into Tobin's open mouth, her focus immediately shifts, and she revels in the sensation of their tongues sweeping against one another, licking and tasting each other as their make-out session quickly becomes heated.

Christen's hands come to rest on the waistband of Tobin's jeans. She hooks a finger inside them and pulls Tobin off of the door, walking backward toward the bed. Tobin blindly follows, not wanting to break their kiss and falls with Christen onto her bed. Tobin finds herself on top of Christen, straddling her waist, as Christen grabs Tobin by the back of the thighs and pulls her in closer.

Tobin's breathing is ragged as Christen glides her hands up and down Tobin's sides, feeling every rib against her fingertips. Christen pushes Tobin up until they detach and both sit upright on the bed. Still straddling Christen's lap, Tobin watches as Christen strips off her own shirt, revealing a plain black bra covering her chest as it rises and falls rapidly with her breaths. Tobin's eyes wander over the perfectly tanned skin, her mouth slightly agape while Christen sits with a cocky smile plastered to her face, enjoying the effect she's having on the brunette.

Christen brings her hands up to wrap behind Tobin's neck and pulls her in to attach their lips once more. As their tongues dance back and forth, sliding against each other, Christen's hands make it down Tobin's chest, grazing over her breasts, down her toned stomach, and slide beneath the hem of her shirt. Feeling her shirt rising up her torso, the fabric quickly gets discarded. Tobin sees Christen's eyes darken at the sight of her.

Then in one swift motion, Christen spins them around and Tobin's back lands against the pillowy comforter. Propped up up on her elbows, Tobin watches Christen rise to slide her jeans off as she stands at the edge of the bed. The dim light reflects off her, highlighting every curve of her beautiful body. Tobin's mouth goes dry and she dare not move and ruin this moment.

Christen leans back down toward Tobin and places her hands on the top of her jeans, playing with the button. "Can I?" She asks, as if Tobin could say no. Tobin merely nods and lifts her hips up to help Christen as she shimmies the jeans off her legs to the floor.

Now standing over Tobin, it's Christen's turn to stare. Tobin feels her eyes raking over her body, taking in every inch of her. Tobin had always been a modest person, never the one to walk around naked in the locker room (that was Kelley). Normally someone looking at her like this would make Tobin feel self-conscious or uncomfortable, but the way Christen's eyes fill with pure desire gives Tobin the confidence to lay there and let her look.

"What sport did you say you play?" Christen asks, her voice wrecked and shakey.

"Soccer." Tobin responds simply

Christen nods, still looking over Tobin's body. "That makes sense."

She takes a step and places her hands on the tops of Tobin's thighs, gliding her hands up her legs, torso, and arms to feel the toned muscles of Tobin's body. Christen comes to rest, hovering over Tobin with one thigh slotted between her legs. Christen's hair drapes across one side of her face, the stray curls tickling Tobin's shoulder as they stare idly into each other's eyes.

Christen brings her lip between her teeth, her sole focus on Tobin. "I want to taste you." She breathes out.

As if all the air had been let out of the room, Tobin's throat clenches closed and she forgets how to breath. Her body knows the answer immediately "Yes! Oh my god, Yes!" but apprehension creeps into her mind. "What if she knows I've never done this. Will she be able to tell? Will she laugh at me, or worse, feel sorry for me? Tobin the virgin?"

Tobin does her best to shake the doubt from her mind, and even though she's terrified, she nods her head, giving Christen the green light to have her way with her.

Christen starts at her neck, kissing and sucking the skin lightly, taking her time as she makes her way down Tobin's neck to her chest. She stops at the top of Tobin's bra and pushes the fabric down revealing Tobin's already hardened nipple. Christen expertly swirls her tongue around the peak, and a wave of pleasure shoots down Tobin's body to her core. She gasps in response, unable to inhibit her reaction to Christen's touch. Tobin can feel the tension building between her legs and her hips rise to seek out any way to relieve it. She's met with Christen's thigh and the two begin rocking together at a steady pace.

Tobin's head falls back and her eyes close tight, shutting out her other senses to focus her attention on how her body's being manipulated. She concentrates on taking in every sensation, how Christen is expertly manipulating her into a ball of putty.

Tobin feels Christen release the cup of her bra to cover her breast again as she detaches herself so she she can work her way lower down Tobin's body. She kisses and licks the toned muscles of Tobin's stomach, and makes sure to give attention to Tobin's protruding hip bones. A fleeting thought of how she's usually so ticklish crosses Tobin's mind, but it's quickly overridden by the feeling of Christen pulling on the band of her underwear.

Tobin's eyes shoot open and she watches in awe as Christen's face rests between Tobin's legs. With a smirk, Christen hooks her fingers beneath the band and pulls Tobin's underwear down her thighs and off onto the floor with the rest of her clothing.

Christen wastes no time, and before Tobin has a chance to overanalyze the situation, Christen's tongue drags slowly up Tobin's wet slit and over her clit, sending Tobin reeling. Her eyes slam shut and her body shudders against the bed. Her hands instinctively tangle in Christen's hair to guide her, urging her to do that again.

As Christen works her tongue across Tobin's center, sounds escape from Tobin's lips that she had only ever heard in movies before. It took her a moment to realize she was the one producing them. Christen's tongue swirls around Tobin's clit in large lazy circles, teasing Tobin until she's grinding into Christen's mouth, desperate for more contact. Tobin feels every muscle in her body contract and tighten. A mist of sweat starts to cover her body as she writhes beneath Christen who was now licking and swirling her tongue faster with more purpose.

Tobin feels an unfamiliar pull deep in her hips as she keens into Christen, who's now also moaning along with Tobin. And then, without warning, release washes over Tobin. Her muscles shudder and shake as they relax against the mattress, and her body tingles all over just beneath her skin. Her mind goes blank and all Tobin can feel is euphoria. She breaths out a heavy sigh and basks in this unfamiliar but intoxicating sensation.

Tobin's daze is interrupted as Christen comes to lay on top of her and rest her head on Tobin's chest. Her fingers draw patterns on Tobin's exposed skin as they both catch their breath.

Christen breaks the silence. "So, how was that?" She says, gently kissing the nearest patch of skin.

Tobin brings her hand up to stroke Christen's unruly curls as she racks her brain for a way to verbalize the most incredible sensation she'd ever experienced.

"Perfect."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, I think the consensus was to continue the story, so here we go! Thanks for all the encouragement everyone, I appreciate the comments and kudos. I wrote up a few chapters in advance to give me some cushion, so I'm hoping to post every couple of days. This chapter is meant to set up the story and get some plot rolling so let me know what you think.

"Well this is just perfect." Christen spits out sarcastically.

***

When Tobin had awoken earlier, she shook the sleep from her foggy mind and quickly remembered the events from the night before. She looked over and saw Christen still sleeping next to her. The clean white comforter was pulled up around her waist, leaving the tanned skin of her bare back exposed. Tobin couldn't believe the events from the night and a giddy smile formed on her lips. As she went to reach out and touch the dream in front of her, Christen stirred and turned over, letting out a yawn and stretched her arms out in front of her. Tobin watched, still in awe of how beautiful Christen was, even first thing in the morning.

"Hey there." Christen's voice was still laced with sleep. "I didn't know if you'd still be here when I woke up."

Tobin panicked a little "Oh! Sorry, I didn't know if I you wanted me to go or stay. I don't really know the protocol for this." Tobin explained.

Christen's brows knitted together. "I mean, there's no protocol I guess. I just didn't know if you were a 'sneak out in the middle of the night' type or not."

"Guess I'm not." Tobin shrugged and said somewhat to herself.

Christen laughed, and seemed a little confused by her choice of words. "What do you mean 'you guess you're not'? Like you've never had a one night stand or something?" She chuckled a bit, clearly amused by her own statement.

Tobin's cheeks blushed as she became suddenly self-conscious "Well I mean, yeah, you're kinda my first."

The amusement quickly left Christen's face and a look of disbelief took over, "Wait, so you've never had a one night stand before?"

Tobin rubbed the back of her neck harshly, now realizing her next statement might not be what Christen wanted to hear. "Actually, you're my first, like, just in general." Tobin squeaks out sheepishly.

Christen's face dropped, running her hands across her face and through her hair as she took in the meaning of Tobin's statement.

***

"Well this is just perfect." Christen spits out sarcastically. "It didn't cross your mind to maybe tell me I was about to deflower you?!"

Tobin winces at Christen's harsh tone. "I don't know, I just....we were having such a good time, and I didn't want to ruin it." Tobin says, wrapping the sheets around her bare chest protectively, head bowed, avoiding eye contact.

"Oh no, don't even think about getting attached or anything." Christen shakes her hands out in front of her defensively.

She gets up from the bed and begins pacing, muttering to herself. "What the fuck. This is why I don't deal with virgins."

"I'm sorry." Tobin offers with a wince

"I just don't understand. You had this whole 'quiet and mysterious' thing going on. You mean to tell me that wasn't, like, a card you play to get girls to sleep with you?" Christen questions in disbelief.

"I mean, no. I was probably quiet cus I was so nervous and just kind of went along with whatever you did." Tobin answers genuinely.

Christen throws her hands up in the air and lets out an exasperated sigh. "God!"

Still completely naked, Christen shuffles around the room, gathering her clothes from the night before, and tosses them in a hamper. She goes to her dresser and pulls on a clean pair of shorts and a tshirt, sighing and muttering to herself as she dresses. "First it's a straight girl, then it's a virgin, why can't I find a normal lesbian for once."

Christen gathers Tobin's clothes and puts them next to her on the bed. "Sorry, I've just had some bad luck the past few months."

Tobin's shoulder slump and her face falls. "Was I that bad?" She says, despondent.

Hearing how crestfallen Tobin sounds, Christen's expression softens and she goes to sit next to the girl wrapped up in her bed. She places a hand on her back. "No, that's not what I mean. You were great, actually. Could have fooled me. Hell, you did fool me!" She jokes, trying to lighten the mood.

Christen continues, "I just know that your first time is supposed to be special and I don't want to take that away from you."

Tobin nods, understanding where Christen's coming from. "I thought you were pretty great, for the record." Tobin says through a half smile.

She looks up and sees Christen smiling at her genuinely. "Thanks. I've had practice so I better be good by now."

Tobin grabs her clothes and starts sliding on her shirt, smelling like cigarettes and sweat from the club last night.

Before she gets a chance to put it over her head, Christen grabs her wrist. "Here, at least let me give you a clean shirt."

She gets up and tosses a soft tshirt over to Tobin and leaves her to get dressed with some privacy. "Thanks" Tobin says to the empty room, slipping the tshirt on.

Tobin finishes getting dressed and pads into the kitchen with her dirty shirt in hand. "Well, I should probably get outta your hair. Uh, thanks for everything. I know it wasn't exactly ideal or whatever, but I hope you had a good time."

Christen gets up from her seat at the counter and leans in to place a sweet kiss on Tobin's cheek. "I did have a good time, so thank you."

Tobin smiles and feels her cheeks heat up.

"Do you want any juice or a bagel for the road?" Christen asks.

"No thanks, I'm good actually. I need to head home and get ready for practice anyway."

Tobin musters up all her courage and says in her most convincing tone, "So, can I call you or something? Maybe we can hang out again sometime?"

Christen lets out a sigh. "Oh. Tobin, I don't think that's a good idea. I had fun with you and everything, but I'm not really looking for anything serious right now."

Tobin bobs her head, disappointed.

Christen continues, "but maybe I'll see you around?"

Tobin looks over to see a questioning half smile on Christen's lips. It's not quite the outcome she was looking for, but Tobin will have to take what she can get. "Yeah ok, I'll see you around."

With that, Tobin exits out into the hallway and heads toward the nearby elevator. She's brought out of her sullen cloud when her phone vibrates violently in her pocket.

"Hello?"

"What the fuck Tobin I've been calling you all night! Where the hell are you?! Are you ok?!"

Tobin sighs. "Yeah I'm fine. It's a long story. I'll tell you about it when I get to the apartment."


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I clearly don't know how to divide up chapters. The last one was kinda short so here's a longer one to make up for it.

"So you hooked up with her and she didn't know you were a virgin? Gotta say Tobs, I'd probably be kinda pissed too." Kling says, packing her gear into a duffle bag for practice.

"I don't get why she would be mad? I didn't do it on purpose or anything!" Tobin defends herself, zipping up her bag and throwing it over her shoulder as they head toward the car.

"Yeah, I know, but you gotta understand, the person you have sex with the first time, there's like this--connection--I don't know how to explain it. She probably just doesn't want you to get attached to her because she knows she'll end up hurting you." Kling explains, starting the car and pulling onto the street.

Tobin scoffs. "Ok, it's not like she put a magic spell on me or something. I can handle myself. If she doesn't want to take things any further, that's fine, I can be casual."

Kling gives her pointed look. "Casual, right. So I take it you haven't been scrolling through Facebook all morning looking at every 'Christen' within a ten mile radius."

Tobin fumbles to put her phone in her lap and stares ahead, looking decidedly guilty.

"Tobin!" Kling shouts.

"What?! She let me borrow a shirt and I just thought I'd ask if she wants it back. I'm just trying to be nice."

A beat passes between them and road noise fills the car. Kling lets out a sigh. "Well I mean, did you find her?" She concedes

"No, well, maybe. I can't tell from the profile picture if it's her, but it's a picture of a big furry dog and I know she really likes dogs so there's a chance that it might be her." Tobin rattles off.

"Anything else that might point to it being your dream girl?" Kling mocks

"It says she's a yoga instructor at a studio in town. That would make sense--she did have the most amazing body..." Tobin trails off

"Alright alright I get it. Don't need to hear anymore. Keep your drool off the seats." Tobin scowls at the smaller girl.

Kling hums to herself, as if mulling something over in her head. "Here's an idea. We have to do recovery after practice today anyway. Why don't we go to that yoga studio and see if it's the same girl. If it is, then destiny await you. If she's not there, then at least we'll get in a good recovery session."

"Kling, has anyone ever told you you're a genius?" Tobin says with a huge grin plastered to her face.

"Moe calls me an evil genius. Does that count?"

***

Walking into the studio, Tobin smoothes her shirt and brushes away the flyaways from her face in an attempt to look more presentable.

Kling leans over and whispers, "What do you think? See anyone familiar?"

Tobin scans the room watching people mill in and out, but doesn't see who she was hoping for. "I don't see her."

The girls are interrupted when a petite brunette with a ponytail approaches them. "Hi ladies, I'm Sam. Welcome to the studio. Are you looking for a specific class today?"

"Uh yeah. We're kinda beginners so whatever you're easiest class is, that's for us." Kling jokes.

"Oh ok. Our usual instructor is out today, so I'm taking on that class. It starts in about 10 minutes. I can get you all set with some mats and take care of the payment before we start. How's that sound?"

"Great. Lead the way." Kling responds.

Following behind as they're lead to a small office, Tobin speaks up. "Hey um, Sam, right? Who normally teaches the class?"

"Oh, that would be Christen. Here." She points to a wall with the names and pictures of all the instructors along with their class schedules. "She's great. I think she was just feeling under the weather today. If you end up coming back, she'll take good care of you."

Kling elbows Tobin in the side and whispers lowly "I'll say. She can take care of me any day." Kling insinuates.

"Oh my god Kling, that's her! That's THE Christen!" Tobin whispers harshly, trying to stifle her enthusiasm.

"What?! No way! You bagged her?! She's way too hot for you" Kling says in disbelief

"Gee thanks Kling. But, yeah that's her! I can't believe your plan worked."

"Told you I'm a genius." Kling boasts. "So what now?"

Tobin hums to herself. "I don't know, I hadn't gotten that far. I don't want her to think I'm stalking her."

"I mean you are just a tiny bit." Kling teases

"Not helping dude. Ok, well I have the shirt with me. Maybe I can leave it with one of her coworkers and ask them to give it to her for me."

Kling adds excitedly "Oh! And put your phone number in there so she can call you."

"It's worth a shot." Tobin surmises.

After their yoga session, Tobin doesn't feel more relaxed at all. In fact, she's even more worked up than when she walked in. She nervously asks for their instructor, Sam, to give Christen the shirt and a note with her phone number Tobin had scribbled out on a stray napkin from her bag.

"Alright, now it's a waiting game." Kling says, hopping in the car to head back to the apartment.

Tobin just nods. Her mind is swimming with possible outcomes, each more anxiety provoking and heart wrenching than the last. "What did I get myself into." She wonders aloud.

***

Tobin waits impatiently for four days, checking her phone every few minutes to see if maybe it vibrated and she just didn't hear it.

After checking her phone for the hundredth time that day, Kling interjects, "Dude, I'm sorry, I just don't think it's gonna happen."

They sit together on the couch playing video games, both staring straight ahead at the tv screen. Over the years, they had developed a routine of having hard conversations while distracted by another activity like driving or watching tv. Tobin came out to her while they were putting together a shelf from ikea. Sitting down face to face, pouring out your heart to someone was just too much like a therapy session and made Tobin kinda uncomfortable. Tobin thinks the fact that they're slightly distracted and don't have to look at each other while talking makes it a little easier to open up.

Tobin sighs. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I probably would have kept the shirt if I knew I'd never see her again."

"Why? What was so great about it? Were you going to do some voodoo magic with it to make her call you?" Kling asks, contorting her body while trying to steer the onscreen car with her controller.

"What? No!.. It was just really soft, and it had Stanford written across it. I'm guessing that's probably where she went to school." Tobin says.

"I don't know, probably a good thing you gave it back. You'd never be able to wear it anyway. No one would believe you were smart enough to go to Stanford." Kling jokes with a grin.

Tobin shoves her across the couch "Hey you're interfering with the game here!" Kling protests.

***

It was game day. Tobin and Kling had joined the rest of their teammates in the locker room after warm ups, getting their final stretches in to prepare for the afternoon match.

As they line up in the tunnel to enter the field, Tobin's mind calms and all her thoughts are drowned out by the roar of the crowd. She feels her hand get squeezed tight and looks over to the little girl next to her.

"Are you nervous?" Tobin asks, leaning down a bit to get closer to the girl.

She nods her head yes, looking up at Tobin with big eyes filled with worry. "I don't want to do something dumb and get laughed at."

"Don't worry about that. All these people came here cus they already like you. If you do something silly, that's ok. I do silly stuff in games all the time! You should see how many times I fall down in a game."

The girl smiles and shakes her head, accepting the words of encouragement from Tobin. The teams begin moving down the hall and soon they're on the pitch.

The game is physical and aggressive. Both teams are pressing high, leaving midfielders to carry the burden of tracking back and then getting forward over and over as counter after counter occurs. Tobin works down the left flank, but weaves into the middle to direct her teammates and push passes into the box for her strikers. There are some close shots, but nothing's finding the back of the net. Then, as Tobin's making a recovery run, she tackles the ball away from her mark, and dribbles it up field. She megs a defender and dances on the sideline to get herself in a better position to send a diagonal ball to a forward making a run at the box. When the ball leaves her foot, she knows it's going right where she wants it, and the forward brings it down perfectly before chipping the keeper, breaking the scoreless drought. It proves to be the only goal of the game, and Tobin adds another assist to her stats sheet.

At the end of the game, the team thanks the crowd and disperse to go sign autographs. Tobin's making her rounds, giving high fives and taking selfies, when a pair of familiar green eyes catch her attention. She smiles widely, but tries her best to cover up her obvious excitement as she makes her way over to the girl standing against the railing.

"Hey stranger. You didn't tell me you played soccer professionally. Pretty impressive." Christen teases.

"How'd you find me? Are you stalking me or something?" Tobin teases.

"Says the girl who found out where I worked under the guise of 'returning a ratty old tshirt to me'". Christen quips back.

Luckily, Tobin's cheeks are already flushed from the past 90 minutes, so Christen can't read the embarrassment creeping onto her face.

Christen continues, "Actually, one of my coworkers recognized you when you came into the studio and when he said you were a professional soccer player, I knew I had to come see for myself. Gotta say, I'm pretty impressed."

Tobin smiles, gaining back some confidence. "So you want my autograph or something?"

"How about dinner tonight instead?" Christen says, still leaning over the railing

Her already wide smile grows even wider. Tobin nods. "Yeah ok."

"I'll text you the details later. I also got the napkin with your phone number on it too. Classy." Christen gives her a wink.

Tobin laughs a little and hears her teammates calling to her as they make their way off the field. Tobin waves them off, disappointed she has to cut her conversation with Christen short. "Ah, I gotta go, but I'll see you later?"

"I'll text you." Christen says, waving her phone in the air.

Tobin gives her one last look before jogging off the field into the locker room with a smile fixed firmly on her face. She'd just played 90 minutes, but she feels like she could do laps around the park with this new excited energy.

Back in the locker room, she feels an arms swing around her neck, causing her to stumble forward a bit. "Did my eyes deceive me, or did a certain yoga instructor come to watch you play today?" Kling teases.

Tobin wiggles free from beneath her arm. "Yeah that was her. Guess it wasn't a lost cause like we thought."

"How'd she know you played? Did she get your napkin note? Or did you perform voodoo magic after all..."

"No, she said her coworker recognized me and told her I played for the team."

"So she did a little stalking of her own. Interesting." Kling says, rubbing her hands together.

"Tobin has a stalker?" Allie interjects as she comes back from the showers to put her things in her locker.

"Yeah, she's super hot and into virgins, well, guess that one's not true anymore." Kling announces, giving Tobin a wink.

"Kling, can you not!" Tobin raises her voice

Allie gives Tobin a knowing look. "Oh yeah? You finally find someone to make a woman outta you?"

Kling chimes in, "Yeah! and apparently she freaked out when Tobin told her it was her first time, but now she's showing up to games unannounced looking for round two."

Tobin turns bright red and pushes Kling into a nearby locker before she can rattle off any more details about her personal life.

Allie looks at Tobin expectantly, waiting for her response. "Yeah, I mean, we hooked up but I didn't think she was interested in anything else, but then she showed up here and asked me to dinner so..."

"Tobs?! She asked to to dinner? That's great! Seems pretty interested to me." Allie says, shaking her shoulder aggressively.

"So when are you going? Where are you going? Details Heath, we need details!" Kling presses

Tobin shrugs her shoulders. "I don't know. We haven't gotten that far. She said she would text me later with a plan."

"Ok well tell me as soon as you know so I can come help you figure out what to wear and do your makeup and hair and stuff! Oh this is gonna be so fun! I never get to see dressed up Tobin!" Allie claps her hands excitedly.

"Allie, she's not a Barbie, she can do all that stuff herself." Kling says, uncharacteristically defending Tobin.

Allie raises her brow "Kling, have you seen her? She thinks a nice outfit means jeans she didn't pick up off the floor and a vest."

"What's wrong with that?" Tobin retorts, crossing her arms in front of her chest defensively.

"Yeah, what's wrong with that?" Kling echoes.

Allie shakes her head. "God, I try not to believe in stereotypes, but you lesbians have a terrible fashion sense."


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First dates never go smoothly and if they do, who are you and what world are you living in?

C: [Hey, it's Christen. It was fun getting to see you play today! You looked good out there.]

T: [Thanks! Maybe you can come again soon]  
T: [See the game I mean.]

C: [I'd like that. So you still free tonight? I was hoping I could take you out to celebrate your win.]

T: [No plans. What did you have in mind?]

C: [How about I pick you up at 7 for dinner and we'll go from there.]

T: [Ok sound good. I'll send you my address. See you tonight!]

  
Tobin stands in front of her full length mirror trying on her third outfit of the night.

"How about this one?" She says over her shoulder to Allie and Kling who sit on her bed studying her outfit intently.

"I like the jeans and shoes, but the top doesn't match." Allie offers.

"I liked the first outfit." Kling states matter of factly.

"Kling, she can't wear a warm up shirt on her date." Allie responds

"But the hat was cool." Kling suggests

Allie rolls her eyes and stands up and looks through Tobin's closet, rifling through her shirts until she lands on a charcoal grey tshirt. She pulls it out and thrusts it in Tobin's direction. "Here, try this one. It's just the right amount of gay without making you look like a 12 year old boy."

Tobin slips on the shirt and adjusts herself in the mirror.

"Ok, I gotta hand it to you. You're pretty good at this stuff Allie." Kling concedes.

Tobin looks herself over in the mirror and gives a nod of approval. "Ok I'm ready as I'll ever be."

Fifteen minutes later there's a knock on the door. Allie and Kling's eyes dart over to Tobin as she rises from the couch and heads toward the door.

When she opens it, Christen stands in the entryway wearing a black tank top and jeans. Her hair is straight this time and she's wearing just enough makeup to accentuate her stunning features. Tobin has to remind herself to pick her jaw up off the floor.

"Hi. So I didn't peg you for the flower-type, but I brought some for you just in case." Christen smiles and offers Tobin a bouquet of colorful wildflowers.

"I like flowers." Tobin responds awkwardly. "I mean, thanks, these are beautiful." Tobin takes the bouquet from Christen and brings them to her nose, inhaling the scent. "Uh, can you hold on just a sec while I put these in some water? Then we can go."

Christen nods her head, giving Tobin the go ahead. Tobin quickly spins around and makes a bee-line to the kitchen to put the flowers away as quickly as possible so as not to leave Christen alone with Kling and Allie any longer than necessary.

When she darts back into the living room, she discovers she was too slow, and Allie and Kling were already making quick work of Christen.

"Alright, leave her alone guys. She doesn't need you interrogating her." Tobin says pointedly.

"Hey don't look at us, she started it." Kling says, throwing her hands up in defense.

Christen interjects "I was just telling them how much fun I had at the game. It's so high energy. It's like everyone just came there to party."

"That's why our stadium has the best attendance. Everywhere else the games are marketed to be family friendly, but we're basically like a live action sports bar. Plus it doesn't hurt we have Ms. Player of the Year on our team." Allie gives Tobin a nudge in the ribs.

Christen's lips curl into a smile at this realization. "I had no idea I was standing in the presence of greatness." She teases. Tobin's face heats up and the words to defend herself escape her.

"I like this girl. Do you have a sister by chance?" Kling jokes.

Tobin pulls Christen by the arm and backs up toward the door. "Alright lets get outta here before you're asked to pimp out anymore of your relatives. Bye guys, don't destroy the house while I'm gone."

"Don't worry, we'll put everything back just the way we found it after we pilfer through your room." Kling calls out as Tobin shuts the door.

She lets out a sigh. "Sorry about them. They can be a lot to handle."

"No, I like them. They're funny. They remind me of my family actually."

"You mean rude and intrusive?" Tobin says dryly.

Christen reminisces "No, just always teasing each other. I couldn't get away with anything in front of my family. They gave me hell for just about everything when I was growing up."

"Sorry if those two triggered flashbacks of childhood trauma." Tobin apologizes

Christen lets out a laugh "No no, nothing like that. I've got pretty thick skin these days. I used to be kinda insecure, but I think having people around me who loved me unconditionally, but weren't afraid to call me out on shit really helped me learn to take criticism and toughen up."

"Huh, that's a good way of looking at it I guess. So I take it that's where the sarcastic streak comes from?" Tobin asks.

"Me? Sarcastic? I don't know what you're talking about." Christen smiles wryly at Tobin.

Tobin grins and lets outs a chuckle.

Christen looks over at Tobin, watching her as they walk toward Christen's car. "You have a really nice smile."

Tobin fidgets with the hem of her shirt and fumbles with the car's door handle, "Oh, well you know, I had braces for like, four years. I got teased so bad in middle school for it. They called me Hobin Teeth even through high school, it was so embarrassing."

"You're not very good at taking compliments are you?" Christen ponders aloud as they close themselves in Christen's car.

"Sorry." Tobin says into her lap.

"Don't be sorry. Just an observation." Christen pulls the car out of the apartment complex and starts down the street. Christen fiddles with the radio and lands on a random station, filling the car with some low music.

Tobin breaks the silence. "So where are we going?"

Staring straight ahead, Christen licks her lips and smirks. "Well that would ruin the fun now wouldn't it?"

A short car ride later, they pull up to a small brick building. Christen leads them into the restaurant and they are quickly seated.

"Wow, this place is--fancy." Tobin says, taking in her surroundings. It's dimly lit and small tea candles light each cloth-covered table. They're seated at a secluded booth with a few other couples scattered around the room.

"I haven't been in the city too long, so my coworker suggested this place. He seemed so adamant that this was the place to go for a first date."

Christen and Tobin both open their menus and skim it over. Tobin's eyes go wide when she sees the options. She gulps. "Wow, uh, the food looks pretty...experimental."

Christen lets out a disapproving hum. "He said it was some kind of fusion restaurant."

"Fusion of what, specifically?" Tobin asks, trying, but failing, to mask her apprehension.

"I couldn't tell you to be honest." Christens eyes dart up and down the menu, looking for something resembling normal food.

They sit in silence scouring the menu for several moments before Christen interjects. "I saw a burger place a few blocks away when we drove up. You wanna grab a burger instead?"

Tobin shakes her head aggressively "Yes please."

They rise from their table, apologizing to the staff as they make their way out of the restaurant. Once they've left, they jog to the car and hop in, laughing like a couple of teenagers who just snuck out of the house.

"Oh my gosh I'm so sorry. I didn't realize how weird the food at that place was going to be. I should have researched it better, or just not trusted Mark...I knew he was a weirdo." Christen apologizes through her laughter.

"That's ok, I'm just glad we were on the same page. Honestly, a burger sounds perfect." Tobin reassures her.

Minutes later, they sit across from each other in another brick building. The lighting isn't quite so romantic, and the booths are made of plastic and vinyl, but they happily chow down on their bugers and fries, glad they had made the last minute change.

Tobin's nerves still hadn't calmed since she first opened the door to her apartment and saw Christen. Though she had made it this far without making a complete fool of herself, her palms are still sweating slightly and she's painfully aware of every lull in conversation. She still hadn't figured Christen out, or what she even wanted with her at this point. Anxiety had left a tight knot in her stomach, and it was slowly rising up into her chest, and before she had a chance to stop it, she blurted out, "So what are you doing here with me?"

Christen looked at her blankly. "Eating a greasy burger and fries."

Tobin puts her head in her hand. Unable to take her words back now, Tobin plows through to clarify. "I mean, why did you ask me out? I thought you said you weren't looking for anything serious."

Christen finishes chewing a french fry and sips her soda, taking an excruciating amount of time to answer the question. She leans back in her seat and shrugs. "I don't know. You're cute, and sweet, and I like that."

"That's it?" Tobin responds incredulously

Christen sighs and continues. "Well I mean-- ok, I might have overreacted when we first met and judged you before giving you a fair chance. And I wasn't lying when I said I had a good time that night. I don't know, after a couple of days I realized it was stupid of me to not pursue someone I like just because you're new to the game, so to speak."

Tobin sits in quiet surprise after her candidness. It was what she was wanting to hear, but she hadn't expected Christen to be so forthcoming with it.

"Besides, being new just means you haven't picked up any nasty habits along the way. But don't worry, I can show you some of mine." She says with a wink.

Tobin blushes and looks away, too embarrassed to make eye contact.

"Oh come on, you're gonna have to loosen up if this is gonna work out." Christen teases.

She slides out of her booth and comes to sit next to Tobin. She swings her arm around Tobin's shoulder and uses her other hand to guide Tobin's lips to hers. She places a salty kiss onto Tobin's lips and lingers there as Tobin feels a familiar excitement pump through her veins again.

Christen pulls away and looks Tobin in the eyes with their faces inches apart. "There. Does that make you feel better?"

Tobin nods and lets a smile creeps across her lips.

"Good."

They finish up their meal sitting next to each other in the booth, bumping elbows and jostling for fries. Conversation flows more easily and Tobin does loosen up a bit. The initial shock of Christen's bluntness starts to wear off, and Tobin comes to appreciate how transparent she is about where she stands. They head back to Tobin's apartment and Christen walks her back up to her door.

As Tobin pulls out her keys, she turns toward Christen. "I had fun with you tonight."

Christen leans against the door frame. "Me too. We seem to make a habit of having fun together don't we?"

Tobin smiles, nodding her head. "Can we do this again sometime, or are you going to reject me again like last time?" Tobin says sarcastically.

"No, I'd like that. And hey, this time we don't have to show up at each other's jobs to get a date." Christen jokes.

Christen steps closer and wraps her arms around Tobin's hips, pulling her in, and kisses her slowly. Tobin sighs into the kiss, still in awe of the pleasure such a simple act can bring. She moves her lips against Christen's, reveling in the soft but assured way she returns every movement. Christen pushes away first, breaking the kiss, much to Tobin's dismay.

"Call me later, stud." Christen gives Tobin a wink as she takes a few steps backward before spinning around taking the stairs down to her car.

  
Tobin can't help the smile that's stuck to her lips as she enters her apartment. Kling and Allie had relocated to the kitchen where Tobin sees them sitting at the small dinner table arguing about soccer over a bottle of wine. Tobin tries to slip into the apartment silently to avoid the inevitable barrage of questions from the pair. She makes it into the living room unnoticed, but they both whip their heads around when Tobin gracefully runs into the coffee table, causing a loud thud against her shin. Kling and Allie immediately get up from their seat to intercept Tobin, but Tobin isn't in the mood to play 20 questions, so she darts to her room to avoid the pair as they chase after her through the apartment.

"Tobin come back we just want to hear how it went!" Kling yells through the apartment as Tobin sprints into her room, locking the door behind her.

"Tobin, you can't hide from us forever!" Allie says through the closed door.

"Guys, I love you, but go away. I just need some alone time ok?" Tobin yells to them.

She hears an audible sigh and grumbling from one, or both of them, and the eventual shuffling of their feet as they retreat from the doorway of Tobin's room.

Tobin breathes a sigh of relief and falls back onto her bed. She replays the evening with Christen in her head, wincing at the many awkward things she did throughout their date, but soothes herself with the memory of the kiss they shared outside of her apartment. "Maybe she really does like me." Tobin thinks to herself.

As she lays on her bed in the twilight of sleep, her phone buzzes and lights up the dark room. Focusing her eyes on the bright screen, she sees a new message from Christen. Sliding her phone unlocked, she sees a picture of Christen sitting on her bed with the Stanford shirt Tobin had borrowed earlier that week along with a brief text .

C: [Found this in my drawer. It still smells like you. Maybe I'll let you borrow it again.]

Tobin gulps, her eyes scanning the picture. Christen's hair drapes over her shoulder, her head tilted down just slightly with a playful smile dancing on her lips. Her gaze into the camera make it feel as though she's looking straight at Tobin, and it almost makes Tobin blush. Tobin goes to type out a response.

T: [Nah, you look better in it. You look good in anything actually.]

There's a brief pause before Tobin sees the three dots appear on her screen. She waits anxiously for Christen's response.

C: [I also look good in nothing, but you'll want to see that in person. Good night Tobin, sweet dreams.]

Tobin's mouth drops open slightly and her mouth goes dry. Images of their first night together flash across her mind and her heart races at the thought of Christen. She definitely wants to see that in person again.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the comments everyone! It's been fun writing his fic so far. Here's another chapter that gives some insight into Christen's backstory. Enjoy!

Tobin and Christen text back and forth over the next few days, both equally busy with their respective jobs. Tobin puts in extra time on the field in an attempt to distract herself from thoughts of Christen with minimal success. She had spent far too much time thinking about her, reading their past text conversations, or looking through her pictures on social media (now that they were officially friends). Then in the  
middle of the week, Tobin gets a call from Christen while she's finishing up some drills on the pitch.

She rummages through her bag and answers the phone, slightly out of breath. "Hey? What's up?"

"Oh not much. Sorry, am I interrupting something? You sound out of breath or something." Christen inquires.

"Oh-- no, I'm just doing some training. Sorry, I'm a little winded." Tobin apologizes.

"Ha, no need to apologize. Now I have an image of you all sweaty in my head, so thanks for that."

Tobin's glad Christen can't see her cheeks fill with color over the phone.

"Listen, I was wondering if you were busy this afternoon and wanted to hang out." Christen suggests.

Tobin wipes her face and neck with a nearby towel. "Uh, yeah I was just finishing up this session and then I'll be done for the day. What did you have in mind?"

"Well I was thinking I could cook you dinner at my place tonight, make up for our first dinner date."

"Yeah that sounds great. When?"

"I have some errands to run first, so it kinda depends on when I get done with those." Christen thinks aloud.

"What if I run errands with you?" Tobin offers

"No, you don't need to do that. It'll be boring." Christen protests

"I don't mind. I like spending time with you, even if it's boring stuff." Tobin responds genuinely. 

Tobin can hear Christen smile through the phone. "Yeah ok. How about I come pick you up at your place?"

"Actually, I'm at the field right now in the middle of town. You could just come pick me up here so you don't have to drive all the way out to my apartment." Tobin suggests.

"Ok sounds good. I'll be there in like half an hour ok?"

"Ok see you in a bit."

Tobin hangs up the phone and gathers her things haphazardly, racing into the locker room to shower and change before Christen gets there. When she gets out of the shower, she pilfers through her bag to find the only clean shirt, a black and blue Nike tshirt, and some athletic shorts. Not exactly date attire, she second guesses her suggestion for Christen to pick her up at the field. She was just so excited at the prospect of seeing Christen again, she didn't think about her limited wardrobe selection.

Sure enough, thirty minutes after she'd hung up the phone, Christen texts her to let her know she had just pulled up. Tobin runs her fingers through her damp hair and gives herself one last look in the mirror before grabbing her bag and heading out to Christen's car.

Tobin closes the car door as she settles in the passenger seat. "Hi, thanks for picking me up."

"Yeah no problem. I was already in town getting some stuff done." Christen says as they drive off. They come to a stop light and Christen looks over at Tobin. "You look sexy like that."

Tobin laughs self-consciously "Like what?"

Christen smiles, her eyes running over Tobin. "Like wet hair, workout clothes, smelling amazing. You just look sexy."

Tobin smiles, running her fingers through her tangled hair. "Uh, thanks."

"And you're getting better at taking a compliment! There's hope for you yet." Christen teases.

Tobin chuckles and relaxes against the leather seat. "So what kind of errands do you need to get done."

"Well, I'm looking for something for my condo, and then probably the store to get stuff for dinner. That ok?"

"Yeah sounds good to me."

They drive through the city discussing their busy week before parking on the street to complete Christen's first errand. When Tobin gets out of the car, she sees an animal shelter in front of her.

"When you said get something for your condo, I thought you meant going to a furniture store." Tobin reasons aloud.

"I told you, I need a dog to make my condo homey. Now come on, am I going to have to look at all the cute puppies by myself?"

Tobin follows Christen into the animal shelter. They're greeted by an enthusiastic older woman who takes them back to the kennels to show them the dogs. Tobin watches as Christen's face lights up, greeting every dog with a scratch on the head and baby talk. After making it around the kennel, the woman asks if they'd like to take any out for a walk. After much deliberation, Christen chooses a brown and black mutt that's some mixture of cattle dogs. They take it outside and walk down the sidewalk.

"Hank. That's a cute name for a dog. What do you think Hank? You like your name?" Christen says rhetorically to the dog.

Hank pulls them down the street, stopping and sniffing every pole and fire hydrant along the way. All the stopping and starting might have been annoying had Tobin been alone, but she didn't mind getting to spend this time with Christen. Watching Christen petting Hank and praising him every few feet made Tobin smile.

"So what do you think? Is Hank the final piece of the puzzle to make your home complete?" Tobin inquires.

"I don't know. To be honest, I haven't even checked if I'm aloud to have a dog in my new place. I just miss having a dog around." Christen offers.

Tobin looks puzzled. "Did you have a dog at your old place before you moved? Why didn't you bring him?"

Christen sighs, "Actually it was my roommate's dog. And even if I could, I don't know if taking that dog with me would have been good for me anyway."

Searching for more information, Tobin questions further. "What makes you say that?"

Christen's demeanor changes. Her smile fades and her shoulders slump slightly. She looks straight ahead as if gazing at something far away. "To be honest, the dog would probably just remind me of her, and I don't really need that."

Tobin remains silent, hoping Christen would take this as a cue to keep going. She does. "So you want to hear why I moved out here in the first place?"

Tobin nods, waiting for her to continue.

Christen takes a deep breath and starts. "I lived with my friend in Chicago for like three years. The first couple of years were great. We hung out all the time, went everywhere together. We were inseparable. Then she started seeing this guy and I started seeing her less and less. One day when she was packing up an overnight bag to take to his place, I just blew up on her. I didn't understand it at the time, but I was jealous because I was in love with her and could see her slipping away from me. After that night, she only really came back to the apartment to get clothes and take care of her dog. She told me she'd finish out the lease, but she was moving in with her boyfriend after that. I was devastated. I got really connected to her dog because it was the only thing still tying me to her. I fed him and took care of him when my roommate spent the weekend at her boyfriends house, so when she finally moved out for good, it was like that last little connection was taken away from me."

Tobin watches as Christen struggles to put on a brave face. "Not long after that, a friend from college reached out to me and offered me a job at her yoga studio here, so I took it. I knew I needed to get out so I packed everything up and now, here I am."

A lull falls between them as Tobin takes in everything Christen just divulged. They walk next to each other wordlessly a few moments before Tobin breaks the silence. "I'm sorry, Chris. That sounds really hard. No wonder you said you weren't looking for anything serious. It's hard getting over someone, let alone a good friend." Tobin instinctively wraps a protective arm around Christen's shoulder as they continue walking.

Christen keeps her eyes distracted, watching Hank as he weaves around the sidewalk. "Thanks Tobin. And don't worry, I'm not like still pining over her, or using you to get over her or whatever. It's done, I'm here, and I like you." She says, finally looking over to catch Tobin's gaze.

"I like you too." Tobin says sweetly, smiling widely at Christen.

"Do you like me enough to pick up Hank's poop for me?" She says, batting her eyelashes as Hank finishes squatting in a small patch of grass a few feet away.

Tobin laughs and rolls her eyes. "Alright, but only because you're cute."

Christen leans in and gives Tobin a swift kiss on the cheek. "I knew it was a good idea to wear mascara today."

They return to the animal shelter with Hank, explaining that Christen needed some time to think about the decision and check the animal requirements in her condo before adopting. The woman at the desk thanked them for coming in and sent them on their way with some flyers about the shelter.

Before heading back to Christen's condo, they stop at a market nearby and pick up some fresh fish and veggies to cook for dinner. They browse the wine selection and can't decide on white or red, so they get both just in case.

When they get back, Christen immediately starts cooking, shooing Tobin out of the kitchen. Tobin sits at the island and opens the bottle of white, pouring two glasses. She sips her wine, watching Christen mill through the kitchen as she prepares dinner, keeping conversation flowing and giving Tobin tastes of her creations along the way. She looks so confident and sexy gliding from place to place, working deftly on one thing after another.

Maybe it's the second glass of wine kicking in, but something drives Tobin to get up and enter the kitchen, despite Christen's previous protest. Christen's just finishing cutting up a cucumber for a salad when Tobin slides in behind her, wrapping her arms around Christen's waist and placing a lingering kiss to her neck.

"You should be careful sneaking up on girls with knives." Christen says, setting the knife down on the cutting board.

"Sorry. I couldn't just watch anymore." Tobin explains, surprising even herself with her confidence.

Christen spins around to face her, draping her arms on Tobin's shoulders. "Somebody need a little appetizer to hold her over until dinner?"

Tobin just nods her head, willing to take anything Christen will give her at this point. Christen pulls Tobin from the back of the neck, guiding her into a kiss. Their lips slot together and Christen gently sucks on Tobin's bottom lip. Tobin can taste the wine on Christen's breath as their mouths open simultaneously to let their tongues dance together. Tobin backs Christen up against the counter, pressing her hips into her, needing to feel more contact between them. Christen moans softly into Tobin's mouth, causing a bolt of pleasure to shiver down Tobin's spine to her core. She can feel Christen's hands tangling in her hair, her thumbs rubbing along the sensitive skin just beneath her jaw.

Just then, an obnoxious beeping from the oven interrupts them and they break apart.

Christen lets out a small breathy laugh. "To be continued." She guides Tobin to the side so she can slip out from her grasp and turn off the oven.

They make quick work of dinner. It's perfectly cooked and Tobin is so hungry, she barely has time to breath between bites. "This is amazing. Thanks for cooking." Tobin says when she finally slows down.

"Thanks. I hope this sufficiently makes up for my last attempt at dinner with you." Christen jokes.

Tobin vigorously nods her head, taking another large bite of fish.

When they finish dinner, Christen leaves the plates on the counter and joins Tobin on the sectional in the living room with a glass in either hand. She sits down next to Tobin and hands over a glass. They each take a long sip of wine before setting the glasses down on the coffee table in front of them.

Christen shifts and brings her legs up under herself, turning toward Tobin. She leans in, resting a hand far up on Tobin's thigh, causing Tobin's skin to heat up immediately beneath her touch. "So where were we?"

Christen brings a hand up to cup Tobin's cheek and pulls her in, continuing the heated kiss they had shared in the kitchen. Still hesitant, Tobin kisses back, but is unsure what to do with the rest of her body as she awkwardly sits there.

As if reading her mind, Christen smiles and separates from Tobin. "Put your hand here." She guides Tobin's hand to her waist and places it there firmly. Feeling a little less tense, Tobin runs her hand up and down Christen's side as they lean against the couch.

After a minute of this, Christen shifts and swings her leg over to sit on top of Tobin, straddling her lap. Tobin's eyes go wide and she swallows audibly. Again, Christen takes Tobin's hands, this time leading them lower down her hips onto her ass. Tobin inhales sharply, rubbing her hands along the area and squeezing her cheeks in her palms.

Just as Tobin is getting more comfortable, running her hands all over the length of Christen's back and thighs, Christen breaks her lips from Tobin's and breaths out. "Put you hands under my shirt."

Tobin quickly obliges, feeling the warm smooth skin against her nervous fingertips. Christen starts rocking into Tobin as they continue kissing. Everything feels so good and it's all a bit overwhelming for Tobin. So again, Tobin get stuck and plateaus, unsure how she's supposed to proceed.

Christen releases from Tobin's kiss and opens her eyes to meet Tobin's. "You really don't know what you're doing do you?" She doesn't say it in a mocking or judgmental way. It comes as a genuine and legitimate question. Tobin shakes her head, her eyes searching Christen's for any sign of disapproval but finds none.

Instead, Christen's eyes darken with a mischievous glint. "Well, guess I'll have to walk you through this and tell you everything I want you to do to me."

Tobin wants to react, but her body is frozen to the spot. She wants to pull Christen in and kiss her hard. She wants to flip them over so she can have Christen writhing beneath her. But her brain and her body don't cooperate, so Tobin sits there, awestruck in a state of catatonic panic.

Seeing Tobin looking like a deer in headlights, Christen lets out a chuckle. "But maybe we'll save that for another time. We can work up to that." Christen gives Tobin a sweet kiss on the cheek before swinging her leg back over Tobin and climbing off her lap. She plops down next to Tobin and leans her head against Tobin's shoulder, grabbing her hand and playing with her fingers.

"I'm sorry, I froze up. I want to do all that stuff with you. I just..."

Christen cuts Tobin off, "Shh, it's ok. You're not ready. I get it."

"But we already did it before. It shouldn't be a big deal anymore." Tobin reasons.

Christen takes a moment to gather her thoughts before responding. "Yeah, but this time is different. We have a connection now, so it means something more. You give a shit now."

Tobin sighs, nodding at Christen's insight. "Are you mad?"

"No. A little frustrated, but I can take care of that part myself." Christen removes her head from Tobin's shoulder to see her reaction.

Tobin blushes and smiles at Christen's crass response. "There's that smile again. You're cute when you're embarrassed."

Tobin gives her a playful shove, causing Christen to let out an infectious giggle that soon has Tobin laughing with her.

Tobin looks at the clock in the kitchen and sighs. "Hey I should probably be getting home anyway. I don't want you to get sick of me."

Christen pushes out her lip in a pout, but nods her head in understanding. She lets out a yawn and stretches her arms up in the air. "Ok, yeah I should probably get ready for my classes tomorrow. Can I drive you home?"

"No, you've taken care of me enough tonight. Besides, I need to get my car at the field anyway, so I'll just uber over there." Tobin says, gathering her belongings.

They get up off the couch and Christen wraps herself around Tobin once more. "Ok if you insist."

They stand in their embrace for what seems like hours, enjoying the simple intimacy of it. Tobin feels Christen's breath on her neck and her thumbs swirling across her lower back as they stand motionless in the kitchen. Tobin's phone goes off, indicating her ride is there. They release each other and Tobin plants a kiss to Christen's cheek. "I'll text you when I get home."

Christen smiles mischievously, "Better be a nude after the blue balls you gave me tonight."

Tobin laughs at Christen's only half-joking comment and gives her one last kiss on the lips before leaving the building and heading down to catch her ride.

Back at her apartment, she walks in to find it dark and empty. Kling must have already gone to bed since they have practice tomorrow morning. Tobin quietly pads into her room and flicks on the light. She jumps when she sees Kling sitting on her bed

"What the fuck! What are you doing in my room! I thought you were an axe murderer!" Tobin shouts in one breath.

Kling laughs heartily at Tobin's reaction. "Sorry, I'm sorry." She says through a fit of laughter. "I just wanted to know how things went with Christen tonight and didn't want you escaping again."

"Yeah, Kling, still giving off that axe murder vibe." Tobin catches her breath and goes to her dresser to grab some pajamas.

"Whatever dude. I noticed you weren't here when I got home so I figured you were out again with your new lover. So, how are things going?" Kling questions

Tobin shrugs. "Good I guess. We have fun together."

"Oh yeah? Fun, or sexy fun?" Kling says wiggling her eyebrows.

"Kling." Tobin admonishes her roommate. "I just like spending time with her. We're taking things slow and she's been really cool about everything."

Kling nods her head, taking in this information.

Suddenly, Tobin's eyes light up and a devilish grin form on her lips. "Speaking of new love interests, whatever happened to that blonde at the bar you met a couple weeks ago?"

"Oh Cindy? Yeah we went out on a date last week but she got so hammered at dinner, she ended up throwing up all over the sidewalk. I know I paid an arm and a leg, but I didn't need to see dinner and a show."

Tobin and Kling both laughed hard at her misfortune. "Sorry man."

Kling shrugs. "Eh, it happens. At least one of us is getting some."

Tobin smiles to herself, thinking back on all the time she and Christen had spent together today.

Kling gets up off the bed and starts to exit the room. "Alright, I know that look. I'll get out of your hair so you can daydream about Christen and write about her in your journal with little hearts above the i's." She mocks.

Tobin throws a pillow toward Kling, but she shuts the door tight and the pillow merely falls to the ground with a soft thud. "Good night Tobin!" Kling yells through the wall.

"Night Kling." She yells back.

Flopping backward onto her bed, Tobin grabs her phone to text Christen that she made it home and to thank her again for dinner. She doesn't hear back, but figures it's fairly late and Christen's likely already asleep. Shimmying under her comforter, Tobin falls easily into a comfortable sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not sure how I feel about this chapter, but I tried to do it justice without going overboard! (you'll get the pun once you read the chapter) As always, your comments are very much appreciated!

Tobin and Christen had been spending more and more time together, finding reasons to see each other as often as possible. Christen picked Tobin up after practice more and more often. They'd go to dinner and then Christen would invite her up for a drink, which turned into two, which turned into sleeping over at her condo because it was too late to get home and Christen's place was closer to the field anyway so it would be easier to get back there in the morning. At least, that's what they told themselves. And Tobin's recovery sessions began involving yoga almost exclusively, even though she wasn't very good, and didn't breath right, and wasn't all that flexible. She mostly just went to watch Christen bend over in yoga pants for an hour.

This weekend was a bi-week, so the team is given time off to go be people and see their families and pretend to have a personal life. Kling decides to spend the weekend with her family, leaving Tobin alone in the apartment to her own devices. Tobin wakes up early Saturday morning and cooks herself breakfast, sitting and eating in front of the tv, watching a soccer game in Spanish since that's the only station that shows it. She bores easily and is restless. She desperately wants to call Christen and see what she's doing, but they'd been spending so much time together, Tobin worries that Christen will get sick of her. She argues with herself a good five minutes before giving in and dialing Christen's number.

She picks up "Hey I was just thinking about you."

"Oh, good things I hope." Tobin jokes

"Always." Christen chuckles

Tobin smiles, wondering why she hadn't called sooner. "Hey do you have plans today?"

"Just waiting for a sexy girl to call me. Now that's checked off my to-do list I'm free as a bird."

Tobin's cheeks turn a light shade of pink, still learning how to take Christen's flirtatious quips. "Well, I was thinking we could go paddle boarding if you're interested."

Christen responds enthusiastically "Ok yeah that sounds fun! I've never been."

"Oh it's awesome. You'll do great." Tobin says excitedly. "Can I come pick you up in say, an hour? Is that cool?"

"Sounds good to me. Can't wait to see that bikini bod."

An hour later, Tobin pulls up to Christen's condo and waits in her car for Christen to come down. While she waits, she flips down the visor mirror to check to see her messy bun isn't too messy. When she flips up the visor again, she sees Christen walking up to her car in dangerously short denim shorts and a crop top with the strings of her bikini sticking out around the back of her neck. Christen giggles when she see Tobin staring. She jogs up to the car and plops in the front seat, giving Tobin a light peck on the cheek.

"If you like what you see now, just wait til the clothes come off."

Tobin smiles, pulling Christen in for another kiss, this time on the lips. "Thanks for coming out with me."

"Of course. Just promise you won't laugh at me if I fall into the water." Christen says playfully.

"Aren't people who do yoga supposed to be more balanced or something?" Tobin teases

"Unfortunately, years of yoga will never counteract my natural clumsiness. Spaziness runs in my family" Christen says dryly.

They drive to the dock where the small rental shop sits. The man running the small operation has them sign a waver and pay before setting them up with a couple of boards. He shows them how to hold the paddle and where to stand for the best balance. Tobin isn't paying attention, instead her eyes are busy raking over Christen's body. Her countless hours of yoga are apparent as Tobin runs her eyes along the long, lean muscles of Christen's body. Her eyes spend a little extra time looking at her ass, the cheeks sticking out just so from beneath the fabric of the bikini bottoms. Tobin's body feels suddenly warmer standing in the presence of this partially clothed goddess.

Tobin's snapped out of her daydream when the man helps Christen kneel onto the board and take off across the water.

She watches as Christen carefully dips the paddle in from her kneeling position to launch herself farther away from the dock. "So far so good!" She yells across the water.

Tobin follows suit and kneels on her board as she paddles herself a safe distance from the dock so she can stand up. She makes her way closer to Christen and glides up to her.

"Ok you ready to stand up?" Tobin asks

"Remember, no laughing if I fall in or I'm taking you down with me." Christen laughs nervously.

"Just go nice and slow, you got this."

Slowly, Christen rises on the board to a standing position. Her legs wobble a bit beneath her, be she quickly steadies herself and throws her arms up in the air triumphantly, letting out a loud whoop.

Tobin laughs and applauds her excellent technique and stands up as well with a little less fanfare. They start paddling easily across the water, neither in any particular rush to get anywhere. Tobin watches Christen's muscles flex beneath her tanned skin as she dips her paddle in the water, pushing herself forward against the current. Once they both feel fairly comfortable on their boards, conversation begins to flow.

"So I told you my 'fall in love with a girl get your heart broken' story. What's classic lesbian drama story?" Christen questions.

Tobin keeps her eyes forward, partially concentrated on her paddling, partially looking back through the catalogue of her memories for her similar experience. "Well, I guess I've always just been kinda a late bloomer. I don't think I've had that 'iconic experience' or whatever, but I've definitely had my heart wreaked a few times. Similar experiences of girl friends I was a little too close with who eventually got boyfriends and left me in the dust."

Intrigued, Christen urges Tobin to keep going. "So how new to this are you exactly?"

Tobin takes a moment to reflect, having never really considered the question. " It's hard to say. I think part of me always knew I was gay. It wasn't so much an 'aha' moment, it was more like a slow unfolding realization. In college, I'd always just assumed that I didn't have crushes on boys because I was too busy with soccer. It really wasn't until this year that I finally realized it wasn't just that. I'd catch myself looking at girls, thinking about kissing them and holding them. And eventually, I realized my image of happily ever after didn't involve a dude, it involved a girl, it always had. So I came out to a few of my close friends and they were really supportive. I was really resistant and kind of scared to jump into the culture of it all since I was kind of late to the game and there were all these inside jokes and terminology people used that I had no idea about. It was intimidating. I just didn't want to make a fool of myself or look dumb. The night you met me out at the club was six months in the making. Kling begged me to go out with her for so long--I'm glad I finally said yes." Tobin looks across the small distance between them and captures Christen's gaze, sharing a smile.

"Well if it's any consolation, I didn't think you looked dumb that night, I thought you looked really hot, obviously." Christen offers.

"Man, I was so nervous. You were just--ah--beautiful. I knew I wasn't going to be able to say no to anything you asked me to do. Hence the predicament we found ourselves in the next morning."

Christen hums, thinking back on that night and everything Tobin just divulged. They paddle along in silence a few minutes before Christen interjects having obviously been stewing about something during their lull. "I don't want to be that girl for you." Christen blurts out.

Puzzled, Tobin asks. "What?"

Christen sighs and continues, "I mean, I don't want to be your 'fell in love with a girl then got your heart broken' story."

A small wave of panic starts creeping into Tobin's chest. "What do you mean by that? Are we going too fast or something? I know I don't have a lot to compare to, but I thought things were going ok. I mean, If you need some space, that's fine. Just let me know cus I like you and I don't want to mess this up. I just thought things were going pretty well but..."

Suddenly Tobin feels a splash of icy cold water hit her body, snapping her from her rambling diatribe.

"Sorry you were spiraling and I had to stop you somehow."

Tobin wipes the water from her face and waits for further explanation.

"Tobin, I like you too. I didn't mean that in the sense that I'm planning on breaking your heart, kind of the opposite actually. I just meant I care about you a lot and it would kill me if I hurt you. Relax, ok? You're not getting rid of me that easy."

Tobin relaxes and takes a deep breath, exhaling the anxiety that had quickly balled in her chest. "Ok, sorry for freaking out. I guess I'm just a little insecure about how I'm doing with all this." Tobin sighs and shakes her head, chastising herself for being such a mess in front of Christen.

Christen laughs a little too hard for Tobin's liking. "What? What did I do now?'" Tobin asks defensively.

"I thought embarrassed Tobin was cute, but insecure Tobin is even better." Christen teases.

"Better watch it or angry Tobin will push you off your board." Tobin taunts her.

Christen gasps dramatically "You wouldn't!"

"Keep up the jokes and find out."

They both stay upright on their boards for the remainder of the session. After another hour of paddling around and 'accidentally' throwing seaweed on each other, they paddle in to return their boards and head home.

By the time Tobin pulls up to drop Christen off at her condo, both their stomachs are growling. "You want to come up and order some takeout and watch trashy tv with me?"

Tobin smiles and answers enthusiastically. "Yeah, that sounds perfect actually. I'm so hungry, I don't know if I would make it home without passing out." She says dramatically.

Christen laughs at Tobin's dramatics. "Alright, no need to convince me. Come on, lets get you fed."

Once inside, they both drop their bags at the door. The sun and physical activity had hit them harder than they realized and they both collapse on the couch.

"Is it ok we're sitting on this all gross and smelly?" Tobin asks, trying to be a good guest.

Christen lets out a sigh. "Probably not but I'm so tired I don't think I can get up." She sinks even farther into the cushions.

Tobin pops up from the couch and hold out her hands for Christen to grab. "Come on, lets go get some comfy clothes on before we leave a permanent sweat stain in the middle of the the couch."

Christen looks up at Tobin who's giving her a knowing look. Christen rolls her eyes, but takes Tobin's hands and pulls herself up off the couch. They walk into Christen's bedroom and she immediately starts rifling through her drawers to find comfortable clothes. She pulls out a pair of shorts and a tshirt for Tobin and tosses it her way.

Without thinking, Tobin immediately begins stripping off her dirty clothes to pull on the fresh set. Changing in a locker room almost every day had desensitized Tobin to this action, and the sexual implications of her being naked in front of Christen didn't hit her until it was too late. Standing with her bathing suit top discarded onto the floor, she hastily looks over to see if Christen had spotted her. Sure enough, Christen's eyes were glued to Tobin, taking in her bare chest as she stands in just her bikini bottoms.

Christen's eyes fill with lust as she takes a few steps toward Tobin to close the gap between them. She grabs at Tobin's hands which had instinctively risen up to cover her chest, and gently pulls them down to her sides. "I want to see you."

Fully bare in front of Christen, Tobin watches as she brings her bottom lip between her teeth. Feeling somewhat exposed with Christen quietly staring at her, Tobin clears her throat and grabs the clean shirt Christen had tossed to her earlier from off the bed. She pulls the shirt on over her chest and looks to gauge Christen's reaction

"Sorry" Tobin says simply.

Christen finally looks up and meets her gaze. "What in the hell are you apologizing for?"

Tobin brings her hand up to rub the back of her neck. "Uh, just that I know you're probably really turned on right now and can't really do anything about it."

Christen looks at Tobin with concern. "Not gonna lie, I totally am, but Tobin, I don't want you to feel pressured to do anything you're not ready for ok? Don't worry about me, I can wait. Besides, there are plenty of things we can still do together."

With this, Christen brings her hand to cup Tobin's cheek and guide her into a kiss. It's slow, but passionate. Christen takes care to kiss Tobin like nothing else matters, melting together as they stand pressed against each other in the middle of the room. They stand with their lips moving languidly together for several moments before Christen pulls away slightly. "I have an idea. What if we took a shower--together. Would that be too much?"

A smile plays on Tobin's lips at this suggestion and she merely nods in agreement. Christen leads them into the bathroom and maintains eye contact as she begins unbuttoning her shorts. Tobin stands in the doorway as she watches Christen's shorts slide to the floor. Next is her top. She pulls off her shirt and in the same fluid movement, grabs the strings of her bikini top, letting it fall to the floor. The roles had reversed now as Tobin stands fully clothed while Christen is left with just her bikini bottoms on. "Well, you coming or not? You can't shower in your clothes." Christen taunts her flirtatiously.

Tobin nods silently and begins removing her own clothes. Entranced by the sight of Christen, she doesn't have time to feel nervous about being naked with her in the shower. Christen finally removes her last article of clothing and steps in. Tobin wastes no time and swiftly removes her clothes too, stepping into the already steaming shower.

Not much washing actually goes on. Most of their time is spent with their lips attached, tasting each other's mouths mingled with the hot water of the shower. Christen's hands touch all over Tobin's body, dancing along her skin, following trails of water as they make their way down her body. Similarly, Tobin's fingers can't decide where to focus their attention and end up roaming from Christen's neck, to her breasts, to her ass, back around to her stomach and up across her shoulders. They stand in the shower exploring each other until the hot water turns lukewarm and they are forced out, not any cleaner than they had been before they got in.

By the time they get fully clothed again, it's fairly late and they still hadn't taken care of the loud growling coming from both of their stomachs.

Christen pats her empty stomach and gives Tobin a pathetic look. "I know I promised you takeout, but I don't know if I can wait for it. And I have some coco puffs in the pantry that are calling my name."

Tobin laughs "I can't remember the last time I had coco puffs. That sounds awesome. Just don't tell anyone, my team trainer would kill me if she knew how much sugar I was eating."

"Cross my heart." Christen says, drawing an invisible 'x' over her chest.

They sit at the kitchen island shoving cereal in their mouths, laughing and reminiscing about their childhoods and Saturday mornings spent watching cartoons. It's an easy kind of togetherness, like the moment you realize you're walking in time to the beat of a song. How it makes you smile as you realize that even on a subconscious level, you can't deny the connection.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone in the comments pointed out that there's no chapter 6. Not to worry, there isn't some long lost missing content, I just messed something up when uploading chapters I guess. Anyway, enjoy this one!

  
The next weekend is an away game which means Tobin and her teammates will spend an inordinate amount of time in vans, planes, and other assorted vehicles to play 90 minutes of soccer, and then turn around and do it all over again to get home. It's a little exhausting, but it's part of the job, and Tobin usually doesn't mind the travel. She likes getting to see different cities and familiarize herself with new places, but she doesn't feel the same excitement for this trip.

"Can I just pack you in my suitcase? I'm sure no one would notice" Tobin says over the phone as she finishes putting the final items into her bag.

"I may do yoga but I'm not that bendy." Christen jokes. "You'll be back soon. And just think, I'll get to show you how much I missed you when you get back"

Tobin lets out a sigh. "Not helping."

Christen giggles on the other end. "Alright, sorry. Call me at some point while you're there. I'll miss you a little bit..."

Tobin smiles against her phone. "Me too. I gotta go the van should be here any minute. Talk to you later."

Sure enough, the van pulls up minutes later and Tobin piles in with her luggage to get carted to the airport. By this time, the team is so used to the travel, they have it down to a science and make it through security in record time. The flight goes by smoothly and most of the team naps or listen to music to pass the time, saving their energy for the game tomorrow. After they land, another van takes the team to their hotel and the players are assigned roommates for the short trip. Tobin's happy to find out that Ashlyn is her roommate, which means she'll probably spend most of her time in her girlfriend's room, essentially giving Tobin a room to herself.

After Ashlyn plops her suitcase in her room, she immediately goes to find Ali's room, just as Tobin had predicted. Tobin doesn't mind. After the travel, she could use a little alone time to unwind. It's late and they had already been fed, so Tobin puts on her pajamas and relaxes against the headboard of her bed, turning on the tv to search for something mindless to watch.

After a few minutes of clicking through channels, her mind wanders and becomes restless. She looks to her phone to see if it's too late to give Christen a call. She turns off the tv, sighing to herself, and picks up the phone, knowing she won't be able to think of anything else unless she talks to her. It rings twice and Christen picks up on the third.

"Hi. Wow, you made it a whole....six and a half hours without talking to me." Christen teases after calculating how long it had been since their last phone call.

Tobin rolls her eyes "Shut up. I just wanted to let you know we got to the hotel, safe and sound. I still think you could have hid in my luggage. They didn't check it very closely."

Christen chuckles. "Something to consider for next time. So how's your room? Do you have a roomie?"

"It's fine. Nothing super fancy; the bed is alright. My roommate dates another girl on the team so she went over there for the night. Probably won't see her until breakfast tomorrow."

Christen hums on the other line. "So you're alone in your hotel room?"

"Yeah."

"On your bed?"

"Yeah."

"What are you wearing."

Tobin scoffs "Oh come on you're not seriously using that line on me."

"What? I was just trying to imagine the scene." Christen defends herself. "I'm a very visual person. I need something to tide me over til you get back."

Tobin blushes a deep red. "Are you...touching yourself." She barely chokes out.

Christen laughs a little, hearing how uncomfortable Tobin is. "Right now? No. I might later though. Depends on if I have some good material to think about."

"Wait, me?" Tobin asks, puzzled.

Christen lets out another small laugh. "Yes, you" She says matter of factly. "What, you haven't gotten off thinking about me yet? Not gonna lie, that kind of hurts my feelings."

Getting nervous again, Tobin fumbles through her words. "Oh, no--I didn't mean--you're great, I'm just not--It's not--I just don't...do that too often." Tobin stumbles, dancing around the topic.

"What do you mean you don't masterbate? Everyone does! It's like, a basic human instinct. Eat, sleep, masterbate. Studies have proven that it's healthy and a great stress reliever."

Tobin cringes a little at Christen's bluntness. "I don't know, I just have to be in the right mood I guess."

Christen seems to have a knack for pushing Tobin out of her comfort zone just as she's starting to ease into it. Tobin's more of a 'dip your toe in and wade out slowly' kind of girl, but Christen was constantly pushing her in, forcing her to take the plunge and adapt. Tobin's stomach starts tightening and she can't decide if it's from excitement or nervousness. Christen also has a knack for making Tobin feel this way.

Then Christen speaks, her voice is softer and lower than before. "Well what if I told you I was laying on my bed in a tshirt and underwear and I can see my nipples just through my shirt cus you make me all hot and bothered. Would that do anything to put you in the mood?"

Tobin's heart skips a beat. The image of Christen immediately springs to life in her head and has her mouth watering. "Uh, yeah that would do it." She tries to mask the waver in her voice.

  
"So...are you going to touch yourself or am I going to have to rely on my imagination again?" Christen asks lowly.

"Here? Right now?" Tobin asks incredulously.

"Sure, why not? Think of it as like, practice before the big game. You practice soccer by yourself, this isn't any different."

Tobin shakes her head to herself, thinking how decidedly different the two are. "Uh, I don't know if I can." Tobin pleads, hesitant to make a fool of herself in front of Christen.

"What if I help you. Can I do that?"

At this point, Tobin's heart is pounding in her chest and her body is vibrating with a combination of apprehension and arousal. The image of Christen laying partially clothed in her bed and the sound of her honey sweet voice are making it hard to resist Christen's proposition. She can't help the small whimper that escapes her lips.

"I'll take that as a yes." Christen says coyly. "Just tell me where you usually start and we can go from there."

Tobin swallows harshly, trying to convince herself that, yes, she's about to do this. Christen's giving her the push she needs to fully submerge. "Uh, I like it dark."

"Ok that's good, are the lights off?"

Tobin rolls across her bed and flips off the lamp on the nightstand. "They are now."

"Ok then what? Just tell me what you're doing as you go."

"Ok. I'm taking off my shorts so I'm just in my underwear and a tshirt."

Christen hums on the other end, leaving Tobin to fill the dead air space with her narration. "I start outside of my underwear. Just kind of rub and put some pressure there. Kind of like, to warm up I guess."

Christen senses the doubt in Tobin's voice and encourages her. "You're doing good, just relax and keep talking it through."

More self assured, Tobin puts her phone on speaker and lays it next to the bed so she can use both her hands. "I also like...my breasts--like my nipples being touched, so I'm sliding my hand under my shirt."

As she says this, Tobin lightly grabs at her breast, working her way around until her fingers find the sensitive bud and begin circling the taught skin. Tobin starts relaxing a bit, feeling her arousal replacing the feelings of apprehension. She sighs out softly, deftly rolling her nipple between her fingertips while her other hand maintains pressure on her center.

"What about when they're licked. Do you like that?" Christen asks.

Tobin's eyes fall closed in an attempt to focus her attention away from her insecurities and just allow Christen to guide her. "Yeah I like that." Growing bolder, she continues, "I'm thinking about how it feels to have someone's tongue circling them."

Without missing a beat, Christen interjects to spur on the fantasy. "What about my tongue gliding across them, feeling how hard they are in my mouth?" Tobin bites her lip, stifling a moan at the thought of Christen using her tongue expertly on her chest. She can feel her body tingling beneath her own touch with the help of Christen's voice, dripping with arousal.

"How are you feeling." Christen asks lowly, hearing Tobin's breathing starting to pick up on the other end.

"Mm good. I think it's working." Tobin hums

Christen starts sounding somewhat breathless. "Are you getting wet?"

Caught a little off guard, Tobin responds, still feeling a bit self-conscious about the whole situation. "Uh, I think so."

Now Christen's breathing is hitching in her throat, obviously turned on by the situation. "Can you feel for me. I want to know if you're making yourself wet."

Tobin complies and snakes her hand beneath the waistband of her underwear. She slides down until she can feel her own wetness coating her fingers. She breathes out heavily, not only because of the sensation, but also because of how easily her body is reacting. "Chris, I'm really wet." She says somewhat in disbelief.

"Tell me what you're doing now." Christen's voice is raspy and wavering a bit.

"I'm using my fingers, sliding them around my clit, not quite on it. I'm going slow." Tobin gets out. Her hips have started rocking into her hand involuntarily and meet her fingers with every stroke.

"You like getting teased a little." Christen says as more of a statement rather than a question.

"Yeah. I like how this feels." Tobin's responses are becoming less inhibited now as she works her own body. She keeps it up, gradually increasing the pace of her ministrations, feeling the familiar pull in her hips as she continues.

"What if you put a finger inside. Would that feel good?" Christen questions.

When Tobin doesn't immediately respond, Christen continues, "What if they were my fingers--and I fucked you?" Christen's voice is wreaked, sounding just barely more put together than Tobin's.

"Fuck, Chris." She can't contain herself anymore. Tobin's hips buck wildly into her hand at the suggestion. All pretense is gone and Tobin is immersed in whatever is happening between them right now. She pictures Christen's body on top of hers, rocking into her. She imagines that it's Christen's fingers slotting inside of her and curling against her walls. Moans start escaping from the back of Tobin's throat into the phone for Christen to hear.

Christen speaks again, panting this time. "Tobin, you're so fucking sexy. I can feel how wet I'm getting. My fingers are sliding in so easily--it feels so good." At this point, Tobin can't tell if she's talking about fucking herself or feeding Tobin's fantasy, but either way, Tobin's body is reaching the point of no return at the sound of Christen loosing it. With two fingers inside herself, she rides her own hand, her palm contacting her clit with every thrust. She can feel herself unraveling as she's driven by pure desire to find the release she needs.

Hearing Christen on the other line panting into the phone, Tobin can only imagine what she looks like getting herself off in a similar way.

"Fuck Tobin. I want to hear you come."

Spurred on by the desperation in Christen's voice, Tobin rocks steadily into her hand. She brings a thumb up to her clit, barely able to contain the pleasure emanating from the spot as she rubs against it. Tobin can feel her body contract, holding on until she's right at the edge. "Chris, I think I'm close. Fuck I think I'm coming."

Then, without warning, her body releases and she feels her orgasm flow through her. So engrossed in her own euphoria, she barely registers the sound of Christen reaching an equal state of bliss on the other end. Tobin rides out her orgasm, shaking, until she finally comes down and melts into the bed.

She inhales deeply in an attempt to steady her breathing and a grin creeps onto her lips. She can't hear Christen on the other end anymore, so she looks over at her phone to make sure that the call hadn't been disconnected. She grabs it and brings it closer to her.

"Chris? You still there?" She asks, reaching through the phone line for some reassurance that she wasn't alone.

"Yeah, I'm here. How do you feel?" She asks quietly.

"Kinda like I just ran sprints. My heart's beating really fast and my legs are kinda shakey." Tobin says, still catching her breath.

"I mean, are you...ok? With everything that just happened?" Christen asks hesitantly.

The apprehension in Christen's voice causes Tobin to realize the gravity of the situation. It's the first time she had heard Christen sound anything but confident and self-assured. It was sweet.

Taking a second to really think about it, Tobin responds genuinely. "Yeah. I did it with you so I feel good, great actually."

Tobin hears Christen smile into the phone and the uncertainty and tension disappears. "I'm feeling pretty great too. Are you sure you've never done that before?"

Tobin chuckles, "Not like that. What can I say, I guess I'm a natural."

"Or maybe you have a good teacher." Christen teases back.

"Maybe a little bit of both." Tobin says with resolve.

They both laugh lightly and a small silence falls between them as both reflect on what just happened. Finally, Tobin breaks the lull "So I was thinking. What if next time, we did that in person instead of a thousand miles apart."

Christen smiles widely at this suggestion, "I think that could be arranged."

They talk for a few more minutes, going over Tobin's schedule and discussing the game tomorrow. Finally, after Tobin's fifth yawn, Christen tells her good night and sends her to get some sleep.

Tobin doesn't notice the squishy mattress or how scratchy the hotel blanket is pulled up to her chin. All she can think about is the next time she'll get to see Christen. The new level of intimacy that's been growing between them equally excites Tobin and terrifies her. But it's kind of like riding a roller coaster, the best ones are the ones that scare you the most. 


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay! Life has been crazy. Also, I can't tell if you guys like the smut or if it's too much and you want more fluff. Anywho, this is not fluff. Be warned.

As the team sits on the plane coming off their 2-1 victory, Tobin rests her head against the window with her headphones on, willing time to move faster so she can be home in her own bed. She thinks back to the previous night and her phone call with Christen, still wondering how she'll gather the courage for that next step. As she ponders to herself, Kling comes and plops down next to her, jolting her from her thoughts.

"Hey bud, I know I said it already, but great game today. You were on fire!" Kling says, jostling Tobin's shoulder.

"Thanks. Guess it was just an on game for me." Tobin says humbly.

"Well whatever it is that's gotten into you, keep it up. We'll be a shoe-in for the championship at this rate."

Tobin smiles, nodding along to Kling's comment.

"Speaking of things getting into you, how's Christen? I've noticed you haven't been to the apartment as much these days. She locking you in a sex dungeon or something? She looks like she might be into some weird shit." Kling pushes her elbow into Tobin's ribs.

"Ow. No, she's into perfectly normal things." Tobin retorts.

"Oh yeah? You've got some experience with these 'normal' things she's into?" Kling says suggestively, prying information out of Tobin.

Tobin sighs. "I mean, kinda. We haven't slept together again since that one night. But..."

Kling waits expectantly for Tobin to finish. "But what?!"

"I think we might try it when I get back."

"Tobin!" She yells, earning disgruntled looks from her sleeping teammates nearby. She continues at a more appropriate volume. "Tobin that's awesome! Are you so excited?"

"Excited is one way to put it." She says flatly, looking out the window

"What, are you nervous? Tobs, there's nothing to be nervous about. She's put up with you this long and I mean, you guys have already slept together anyway so I don't see what the big deal is." Kling looks at her incredulously.

Tobin blushes slightly and looks down at her fidgeting hands. "Well I mean, technically she took care of me that night, but I didn't exactly...return the favor." Tobin chokes out quietly.

"Ooohh... gotcha." Kling says, taking in this new information. "Hm. So you're scared you won't be any good or something?"

Tobin nods. "Yeah. Ugh, why does it have to be so complicated!" Tobin groans in frustration.

Kling laughs. "Dude, you're overthinking it. It may seem like this big scary thing, but it's all about communication. As long as you guys are on the same page, it'll be fine. And seriously, when was the last time you were bad at something?"

Tobin thinks back. "I was really bad at geometry in high school."

"God, you're infuriating." Kling says rolling her eyes. "See, things just seem to come naturally to you Tobs. I'm sure this will be just one more thing to add to your list of stuff you're good at without even trying. So just relax, I'm sure it'll be fine. And if you're terrible and she breaks it off immediately, then you get to be my wingman again, so it's really a win-win."

Tobin laughs, feeling somewhat more confident after Kling's pep talk. She may be a goodball most of the time, but she has a way of weaving in some serious advice when she needs to.

The team makes it back several hours later and Tobin and Kling are dropped off in the parking lot of their apartment complex. As Tobin lugs her bags out of the van and watches it drive off, she sees a familiar car parked in front of her building with Christen leaning against it, smiling sweetly at her.

Still standing next to her, Kling leans over to whisper "So I'm just gonna throw my stuff into the apartment and head over to Allie's apartment or something."

Tobin nods wordlessly and lets Kling get a head start into the apartment. Meanwhile, Tobin leaves her bags on the curb and walks over toward Christen.

"Hey you." Christen says, unfolding her arms from her chest and pushing herself up off the car.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Tobin asks.

Christen lets out a laugh "Good to see you too Tobs." She teases.

Tobin shakes her head at herself, "Sorry, I mean, I'm glad you're here. How are you?" She closes the space between them and presses herself into Christen in a long embrace. She pulls back and gives Christen a lingering kiss, familiarizing herself with her lips again after missing them during their brief time apart.

"I'm doing better now that you're back." As they stand in each other's arms pressed up against the car, they watch as Kling makes her hasty exit from the apartment with a backpack in tow. She offers them a small wave from across the parking lot after being spotted, and hops in her car to drive off.

"She got outta here quick. I didn't think I was that scary." Christen jokes.

"No, I think she just wanted to give us some time alone." Tobin clarifies.

Christen smiles mischievously, tugging on the ends of Tobin's long wavy hair. "Why would she think we need alone time?"

Tobin's cheeks flush at the suggestion and she pulls away from Christen, grabbing her hand to follow along. "Come on, lets go upstairs."

Tobin grabs her bags as they make their way up toward her apartment. She swings the door open and throws the bags onto the floor nearby and closes the door tightly behind them.

Tobin wastes no time and finds Christin's hips, guiding them toward her until they stand inches apart in the living room. Without a word, Tobin crashes her lips into Christen's, desperately searching for the reaction she wants. Christen hums against Tobin's lips, but it's not quite how Tobin remembered her sounding. Instead, Christen pulls away, breathing a little harder than before.

"Hey, hey. Slow down. Don't you want to relax for a second? Take a shower or eat something? You just walked in the door." Christen looks at her with a bit of concern.

"Sorry. I've just been thinking about you the whole trip back. I just--I want to do it, I'm ready." Though her words were confident, Tobin's voice was small and wavered.

Christen's brows furrow. "Tobin, are you sure?"

Although she was terrified of what her response would mean, she locks her gaze with Christen's deep green eyes and nods assuredly. "I'm just not really sure what I'm doing." Tobin says looking down slightly.

Christen plants a kiss on her cheek and makes a trail of gentle kisses across her jawline toward Tobin's ear. She takes the lobe between her teeth, biting it gently before running her tongue back over the surrounding area. She breaths into Tobin's ear. "Don't worry, I'll tell you exactly what I want you to do to me."

A shiver runs down Tobin's spine and goosebumps form on every inch of her. Her eyes slam shut and she inhales sharply at the sound of Christen's voice, raspy and low in her ear. Christen continues kissing along Tobin's neck, letting her tongue drag across the sensitive skin beneath. Tobin's hands grip tightly onto Christen's hips, grasping at her for support, forgetting how to stand on her own.

Tobin feels Christen gently pushing her back toward the bedroom with their lips still moving against each other. Tobin stumbles backward into her bedroom and flails her hand around searching for the nearby lamp, refusing to let her lips leave Christen's for even a moment. She struggles to turn on the standing lamp and knocks it over with a loud crash.

"Damn it." Tobin curses as she breaks apart from Christen to retrieve the fallen lamp. Christen chuckles, watching Tobin scramble to collect the crumpled lamp shade and lean the long metal pole up until it stand on its own again. As Tobin does this, Christen makes her way to sit on Tobin's bed, tucking her legs under herself in a kneeling position.

Seeing Tobin frazzled, Christen reaches her arm out to grab Tobin's hand and pull her closer to the bed. She rises on her knees until she's eye level with Tobin. Christen's lips are curled in a small smile as she looks at Tobin with kind eyes. "Deep breath, ok?"

Tobin does as she says and inhales deeply, letting her lungs rise and fall to release some of the tension in her chest.

Christen whispers against her lips. "Just kiss me."

She doesn't have to ask Tobin twice. Tobin attaches her lips to Christen once more and weaves her fingers through Christen's wavy locks. She feels Christen's hands find their way to her hips, snaking beneath the fabric to feel the warm skin of her waist. Christen slides her hands up Tobin's ribs, taking Tobin's tshirt with them and pulls it up over her head. Tobin watches as Christen's eyes search up and down her torso, admiring her lean, muscular stomach. Christen reaches out to graze a fingertip across Tobin's stomach, feeling the muscles twitch slightly at the feather-light contact.

"God, I could look at you all day." Christen muses.

Christen brings her lips to Tobin's exposed collarbone, across her chest, to the other shoulder, giving a teasing bite. An amused smile forms on Tobin's lips at Christen's playfulness. With another small kiss, Christen detaches from Tobin and takes off her own shirt, discarding it to the floor. She falls back onto the bed, resting on her elbows looking up at Tobin, still standing at the foot of the bed in a sports bra and joggers.

Christen's fingers find the button of her own jeans and unbuttons them slowly. "Help me get these off."

Tobin leans over and slides them down Christen's long silly legs, her hands just grazing the tanned skin as she pulls the jeans all the way off.

"Now you." Christen motions toward Tobin.

Tobin complies and pushes the waistband of her joggers down past her ass and lets them fall to the floor. Looking down, Tobin wishes she had worn different underwear. She tries to adjust them so they don't look so ratty compared to Christen's simple black underwear. She looks up to see Christen smiling bemusedly at her.

As if reading Tobin's mind she states. "Don't worry, you won't be wearing those long anyway." Christen pats the bed beneath her "Now come here. Come lay on top of me."

Tobin crawls her way up Christen's body, planting kisses on her exposed skin as she goes. "Is this ok so far?" Tobin asks, hovering over Christen.

Christen pulls Tobin by the back of the neck, bringing their lips together in a brief kiss. "You're doing great. And we haven't even gotten to the fun stuff yet." She says with a glint in her eye.

Their lips collide again in a heated kiss. Tobin's tongue finds Christen's and they take turns caressing and massaging the other. Christen's tongue glides against Tobin's as she licks into her mouth, eliciting a small moan from Tobin. This seems to spur Christen on and her hips press firmly against Tobin's thigh that was resting between Christen's legs. Even through her underwear, Tobin can feel Christen starting to get aroused.

They had made out like this before, but now with fewer clothes separating them, Tobin finds herself in unfamiliar territory. Pulling back, Tobin asks innocently "What do I do next?"

With a coy smile Christen reaches behind her back and unhooks her bra, tossing it aside. "I want you to kiss down my neck..." She uses a finger to direct Tobin's eyes, running the digit down her neck until it brushes and circles her peaking nipple. "...til you get here."

Tobin's body hums with excitement. Her heart rate picks up and she brings her bottom lip between her teeth, slightly nodding in understanding.

She lowers her lips to Christen's neck, doing as instructed, leaving a trail of kisses down Christen's neck across her chest until Tobin wraps her lips around the sensitive bud, swirling her tongue around it lightly at first. Christen's breathing picks up as she arches into Tobin, her body searching for more contact. Tobin brings her hand up to Christen's other breast and lightly rolls the hardened nipple between her fingers.

"Fuck Tobin, that feels good." Christen rasps out lowly. Her hips begin rocking into Tobin's thigh, needy and desperate for attention. "Touch me. I need to feel you."

Understanding her plea, Tobin moves her hand from Christen's breast, down her stomach, and rests her hand over Christen's underwear. Her fingers press into Christen above the fabric, providing some much needed attention to the area.

"Tobin, feel how wet I am." Christen's demands becoming more desperate now.

Swallowing back her trepidation, Tobin slides her hand beneath the fabric and drags her fingers through Christen's folds, drenching her fingers.

"Chris, you're so wet." Tobin breaths out, her head resting against Christen's stomach, lips tickling Christen's skin as she speaks.

Meanwhile, Christen keens against Tobin's fingers, willing them to continue. "Tell me what you want." Tobin asserts more confidently, feeling the affect she's having on the woman beneath her.

Instead of speaking, Christen grabs Tobin's hand, guiding it to just the spot she likes it. "Tease me. Circle my clit but don't touch it, not yet."

Looking back to their phone call the previous night, Tobin thinks to herself that maybe it was good practice after all. With her middle finger, she slides between Christen's folds, taking care to feel every inch of her with the exception of the small bundle of nerves that would surely send Christen reeling.

"Fuck, just like that Tobin." Christen shamelessly rocks into Tobin's hand, her hips helping to set the pace. Tobin can feel her own underwear starting to dampen at the sight of Christen so immersed in pleasure. Tobin's whole body tingles, feeding off the moans and sighs coming from Christen's parted lips.

Knowing what she wants to do, Tobin finds the air to speak "I want to use my tongue. I want to taste you."

Christen's eyes shoot open, darkened and hooded with desire. Expecting another confident demand or instruction of what she wants, Tobin's caught off guard when all Christen can muster is "Please."

The desperation is apparent in her voice and Tobin no longer feels nervous or doubtful about herself. This is no longer about her, it's about Christen and doing whatever she needs to reach nirvana.

Hearing her plea, Tobin settles herself between Christen's legs, taking in a full breath of Christen's uniquely intoxicating scent. Tobin feels Christen's fingers tangle through her hair, urging her to make contact. Tobin uses her flattened tongue to slowly lick up Christen's entire slit, wanting to taste and feel all of it. Christen immediately lets out a moan, arching into Tobin's mouth. With more confidence, Tobin begins licking and exploring Christen, listening closely to how she responds to certain sensations: faster, slower, big circles, little circles, higher, lower. It's trial an error for Tobin, but Christen's riding Tobin's face, fully enjoying the inadvertent teasing.

Finally, Tobin finds a combination of things Christen seems to enjoy and continues this pace. "Fuck Tobin, you feel amazing. Keep going, keep going."

Tobin starts circling Christen's clit a little tighter now, using her lips to gently wrap around it and suck lightly. Christen's hands frantically pull at Tobin's hair and her nails leave crescent shaped marks in her shoulders. She moans with never breath, switching between cursing for Tobin to give her more, and praising her for prolonging the exquisite sensation.

Finally, Tobin can feel Christen's legs flex tightly, squeezing against her with force. She lifts her hips further into Tobin, searching for that final piece to send her over the edge. Knowing that she's getting frustratingly close, Tobin sweeps her tongue fully across Christen's clit to send her reeling.

"Oh, fuck. Tobin--Tobin."

Christen's body quivers against Tobin as she climaxes. Tobin continues to slowly glide her tongue across Christen, reveling in her new favorite taste. As Christen comes down, feeling the aftershocks of orgasm, she releases her grip on Tobin and falls back against the bed, letting out a long satisfied sigh.

Tobin sits up and gets a good look at Christen lying on the bed fully spent. Her arms are flung above her head and her chest rises and falls rapidly trying to catch her breath. Her hair is splayed across the pillow, and her lips are curled into an open mouth smile. She's never looked more beautiful.

After a few moments, Christen's eyes gently open and her smile widens at the sight of Tobin. She stretches out her arms "Come here you."

Tobin crawls back up Christen's naked body and lays on top of her, resting her head perfectly against her chest. Tobin gives a small kiss to the skin beneath her lips. "So did I do ok?"

Christen lets out a breathy laugh and brings her hand up to stroke Tobin's hair. "Yes. You pass with flying colors." She gives Tobin a quick kiss on the top of the head. "Seriously, that was amazing Tobin. It was perfect." Tobin grins at her accomplishment against Christen's chest.

"So now we're even." Tobin says, propping herself up on her elbow to get a better view of Christen.

Christen's brows furrow. "What do you mean?"

Tobin continues, "Well you got me off the first night we met, and now I got you back. So we're even."

A look of playful displeasure forms on Christen's face "Noo, the first one doesn't count. I'm calling Mulligan." She wiggles her way from beneath Tobin and flips them over so she hovers above the brunette. She leans into Tobin's ear, leaving soft kisses along her jawline.

"Trust me, I can do so much better."

 


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry in advance, I probably won't be able to update for a while. I have a couple other fics I wrote previously if you need something to tide you over til the next update. Enjoy this one!

The next morning, sunlight streaming in from the nearby window gently rouses Tobin from her sleep. With her eyes still closed, she takes in the warmth and comfort of her body as it slowly comes back online from the night's rest. Her eyes finally flutter open to take in her surroundings. Movement from the other side of the bed puts a smile on Tobin's lips before she even looks over at the sleeping beauty beside her. She shifts to lay on her side and face Christen, watching as she too struggles to shake the sleep from her body.

"I can feel you watching me you creep." Christen mumbles, eyes still closed as she lays on her back.

Tobin lets out a sleepy chuckle and brings her hand from under the sheets to move Christen's messy hair from her face, letting her fingers wander aimlessly along the soft skin of her cheek and jaw. Christen's eyes gradually open and find Tobin's gaze immediately.

"Hey" Christen utters sweetly

Tobin's grin widens "Hey."

Christen brings her hand up and grabs Tobin's, pulling it to her lips to place lingering kisses across her palm. "How did you sleep?"

"Like a baby. You?"

"Like I had the best sex of my life." Christen continues placing kisses along Tobin's hand and wrist.

They share a smile as Tobin's cheeks turn a soft shade of pink. Christen puts down Tobin's hand and lifts up the comforter as if checking to see what's underneath.

Tobin laughs, puzzled by this "What are you doing?"

Christen lets the comforter fall back on top of their naked bodies and repositions to prop herself up on one elbow. "Just checking to make sure it wasn't just another sexy dream about you." She plants a chaste kiss on Tobin's lips "Looks like I got the real deal this time."

They lay together in bed, letting their hands wander over each other as they exchange teasing quips and soft kisses. Eventually, hunger motivates them to finally roll out of bed and search for another kind of satiation.

Tobin insists on cooking breakfast, citing that she's a master at making pancakes. Christen hovers behind Tobin as she mixes the ingredients, wrapping her arms around her and pressing her body against her back. She kisses along the column of Tobin's neck as she pours the batter onto the hot skillet. Christen's hands roam from Tobin's waist down to her center and she slots her hand between Tobin's legs, feeling her warmth from over her sweatpants. Tobin's eyes close, taking in the sensation of Christen's lips and tongue expertly kissing and sucking her neck while her fingers slowly apply pressure to stroke her. Tobin's mouth hangs open as her breathing becomes more labored. She braces herself against the counter as Christen continues her ministrations.

Tobin's eyes shoot open when she smells the faint odor of burning oil.

"Shit!" Tobin rushes to remove the hot pan from the heat and scrapes the burnt pancake into the garbage.

Christen chuckles "I have a feeling if we're going to get anything done besides each other today, we'll probably need to get out of the house."

They end up walking the streets of downtown, half looking for a place to eat, and half just enjoying the beautiful day walking with each other. They end up stopping at a food truck that makes extravagant crepes and take turns stealing globs of whipped cream off each other's confections.

With full bellies, they walk by a bar with a facade of huge garage doors open to let in the warm air of the early afternoon. TVs playing soccer line the walls and Tobin almost runs into a fire hydrant trying to sneak glances of the matches being broadcast.

Watching Tobin's pace slow to a crawl as they pass by, Christen chuckles. "You wouldn't want to go in a watch a game would you?"

"Can we?" Tobin's eyes light up in childlike excitement.

They find a table near the front of the bar so they can feel the breeze as it comes in.

"I'm going to grab a beer. You want one?" Christen asks, leaning on her chair.

"Uh sure, I'll have whatever you're having." Tobin responds, eyes fixated on the television nearby.

Christen goes up to the bar and orders a couple of session ales, figuring she doesn't want to get wasted this close to noon. She leaves a tip for the bartender and turns around to head back over to Tobin, beers in hand. When she gets closer to the table, she sees a guy in his thirties sitting at the table next to Tobin. He's wearing a pink polo and a backwards SnapBack. He kinda looks like a tool. He's talking animatedly at Tobin, who looks decidedly uninterested, leaning away from him and hardly making eye contact as he talks incessantly.

Tobin looks over and catches Christen assessing the situation. She watches as Christen's lips purse in displeasure and she strides over assertively.

"Here you go babe." She says, setting down a beer in front of Tobin.

"Thanks Chris. Uh, this is Kyle. He came over to say hi. He's a fan." She says uncomfortably.

Christen gives him a polite, but not overly friendly nod.

"I was just telling Tobin she's my favorite player. You're really talented. You have the best tricks, and you look good doing them."

Christen scoffs at his cheesy line.

"Uh thanks I guess. It's always good to have support from the fans." Tobin offers politely.

"So can I buy you a drink?"

Christen immediately interjects in a polite, but assertive tone. "She has one already, but thanks for the offer and coming to say hi. Now if you'll excuse us, I'd like to get back to my date with my girlfriend."

He looks back and forth between the two women, looking somewhat confused before the lightbulb finally goes off. "Oooh. Ok, gotcha. Just my luck huh? The two hottest girls in the bar are into each other. Sorry, guys, er, ladies. Enjoy the game. I'll just be watching from over her--the game I mean-- watching the game." He gets up from the table and trips back over toward the bar, obviously flustered from this exchange.

Christen shakes her head as she watches him slink off with his tail between his legs.

"Girlfriend huh?" Tobin quips as Christen sits down, taking her first sip of beer.

"I mean, I had to get rid of him somehow. Sorry, I just didn't want to spend the whole game making small talk with him. Are you mad?" Christen apologizes.

"No not at all. I liked seeing you handle that. I was kinda hot actually." Tobin admits with a timid glance.

Christen's voice softens, prying further. "Well what about the whole 'girlfriend' thing. How do you feel about that?"

Tobin's lips curl in a cheeky smile. "Christen Press, are you asking me to be your girlfriend?"

Christen smiles widely and regains her usual pluck. "Yeah I guess I am. Tobin, will you go steady with me?" She asks in a dramatic mocking tone, lacing her fingers together in a plea.

Tobin hums aloud as she taps her fingers on her chin, as if to deeply ponder this question.

"Oh come on don't be a dick about." Christen shoves Tobin in the shoulder playfully.

Tobin grins, staring intently into Christen's bright green eyes. "Yes of course I'll be your girlfriend."

They sit together in the bar sipping their beers as the game goes on. Tobin enthusiastically offers commentary about the game and the players. Christen appreciates Tobin's thoughtful insights, but has a feeling she would be doing this even if it wasn't Christen sitting next to her. So engrossed in the game, Tobin doesn't realize as Christen slips her another beer, and then another. By the time the game is over, Tobin is feeling the effects of the beers she gulped down. She eyes Christen who's also looking a little tipsy with rosey cheeks and a goofy grin painted on her face.

"Oh man, I feel like I shouldn't be this drunk by 3 in the afternoon." Tobin jokes, swallowing back a hiccup.

"Sorry, I got a little carried away with the beers. I was just really into the game. Maybe you'll make me a soccer fan after all" Christen responds playfully.

Tobin swings her arm around Christen's shoulders as the exit the bar. "That might be the sexiest thing I've ever heard you say."

Christen giggles. "Really, that? Guess I need to step up my game." She says dryly

Tobin leans onto Christen. "Don't worry, you'll have plenty more opportunities to talk sexy to me." She purs into her ear as they walk.

Christen smiles, amused by Tobin's boldness "Remind me to get you drunk more often. I like tipsy Tobin. She's dirty" Christen teases.

Christen's hand finds its way into Tobin's back pocket, steering her closer to Christen. "Why don't we go back to my place. I have a few things I could show you that might put sexy soccer talk to shame."

"Ha, so you've been holding out on me this whole time?" Tobin asks with a wry laugh

"Well now that you're my girlfriend you get the very exclusive girlfriend treatment." Christen jokes.

"Oh I like how that sounds. What does the girlfriend treatment get me?" Tobin plays along.

With her hand still in Tobin's pocket, she gives her ass a squeeze "Guess you'll have to find out."

They make the walk toward Christen's condo, quickly sweating out the alcohol they had ingested earlier under the hot afternoon sun. When they make it inside, Christen immediately strips off her dampened shirt, dropping it to the ground as she walks toward the bathroom.

She spins around to look at Tobin who's eyes haven't strayed from her body since they arrived. "I could use a shower. You coming?"

Without a response Tobin quickly follows, leaving a trail of discarded clothes all the way to the bathroom. She walks into the steam-filled room and pulls back the glass door to step inside, wasting no time in wrapping herself around Christen from behind as she stands under the cascading water. Tobin revels in the sensation of Christen's perfect ass pressing into her hips and the water trickling down between them. She kisses along Christen's neck and she can feel herself getting wet as her hands glide all over Christen's skin.

Christen spins around, wiping drops of water from her face and looks Tobin up and down. She runs her fingers along Tobin's chest, grazing past Tobin's breasts as she makes her way down to her stomach, hips, and thighs. She starts drawing teasing circles all around Tobin's inner thighs, never quite touching the apex.

Christen takes Tobin's ear lobe between her teeth, biting down gently before releasing it to whisper lowly on her ear. "You want me to touch you?"

Eyes closed and lips slightly parted, Tobin nods her head, desperate for her touch to continue.

Christen walks them back a step until Tobin's back presses fully against the glass shower wall. She inhales sharply at the sudden coldness on her skin. Tobin can feel Christen's hardened nipples grazing against her own, and her hips pressing into Tobin's firmly. Christen continues a trail of kisses down Tobin's neck to her collarbone, nipping at it before she speaks again. "You want me to fuck you against the glass?"

Tobin nods more adamantly. "Yes" She barely gets out.

"Tell me how much you want it"

"Fuck." Tobin can barely breath, the rasp in Christen's voice and the teasing touches are driving Tobin crazy. She rubs her thighs together tightly, feeling how wet she is in an attempt to relieve some of the tension building up between them. "Fuck, Chris. Just touch me--please."

Christen obliges Tobin and finally slides her fingers through Tobin's wet folds. Tobin shudders and stifles a moan.

"Don't do that, I want to hear you." Christen asserts.

Feeling Christen's fingers dancing between her, Tobin releases a sigh from her chest, grabbing onto Christen's shoulders for support.

Christen's strokes continue, gradually increasing in pace and pressure, pushing Tobin closer and closer to the edge. Tobin's legs tremble, attempting to hold up her weight against Christen's fingertips. She reaches out for the towel rack inside the shower to help keep herself standing. "Shit, Christen. You're gonna make me come."

As she relies more and more on her arms to prop her up, she hears a crack and her hand suddenly falls from the towel rack. She stumbles over, falling into Christen to catch her balance, and watches as the towel rack breaks from the shower wall and falls to the ground with a crash.

"Oh my god, oh my god, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to break it!" Tobin apologizes profusely.

While Tobin stands there in a state of panic, Christen bursts into uncontrollable laughter. "Oh my god--this is--the funniest thing--I've ever seen." Christen can barely get out her words through her fits of laughter, gasping for breath.

"Chris, I broke your shower!" Tobin says, still in a state of shock.

Christen's laughter dies down and she smiles widely at Tobin, grabbing her shoulders to console her. "Babe, it's alright. We'll get it fixed no big deal." She gives Tobin a reassuring peck on the lips. "I needed an excuse to go to Home Depot anyway."

Tobin scoffs, "God, you're so gay."

"Would it make it any less gay if I go there for caulk?" Christen smiles suggestively

"You were waiting to to say that one. Look at you, look how proud you are of that joke!" Tobin teases, tickling Christen's sides as they stand in the cooling water of the shower.

They get out of the shower to dry off and Christen offers Tobin some clean clothes from her closet. Tobin brings the collar of the tshirt up to her nose and takes in a deep breath, smelling the distinct scent of Christen on the shirt.

Once Christen finishes dressing, she turns toward Tobin and looks her over. Her eyes are dark at the sight of Tobin in her clothes, and they don't stay on Tobin's body long as the couple picks up where the left off in the shower. Home Depot will have to wait. 


	11. Chapter 11

Weeks pass by in a flash. Tobin has several away games in a row, meaning the couple doesn't get much time alone between all the travel, and training, and recovery sessions. But on the infrequent nights they do get to be together, they soak up as much time as they can, cloistering themselves in Christen's condo since Kling teases them relentlessly when they're at Tobin's place.

They laze about, lounging on the couch making their way through series on Netflix between meals and continuous foreplay.

Polishing off a jar of peanut butter, Tobin rests against Christen on the couch. "Hey, I was thinking..." her tongue sticking to the roof of her mouth

"Oh that's never good." Christen teases

Tobin reaches over and smacks Christen on the leg. "Shut up! No, I was thinking...after the season's over, I'll have a few weeks off. Would you maybe want to go somewhere with me?"

"What like vacation?" Christen asks, intrigued.

Tobin starts twisting the drawstring of her sweatshirt around her finger. "Yeah, like go on a trip. We don't have to go far. I was thinking--there are some really cool beach houses a few hours outside of the city I heard about. It's supposed to be really secluded and peaceful, and the scenery's amazing. I know it's kinda cold but we could build fires on the beach and cuddle up in blankets. I don't know, it was just a thought. We don't have to if you don't want."

Christen gives Tobin a reassuring kiss on the top of her head. "No I like it! It sounds like the perfect getaway. I just have one request."

"Anything for you." Tobin grabs Christen's hand and kisses it sweetly.

"Promise me there's indoor plumbing. I like nature and all, but I need a hot shower at the end of a day. I don't need sand collecting in the crevices of my body."

"Sandy crevices, how sexy." Tobin chuckles.

Christen gives her a knowing look. "Keep it up and you won't be seeing these crevices again."

Tobin raises her hands in surrender. "Ok ok." She gives Christen a kiss on the cheek and pops up from the couch. "Alright, I'm gonna grab my computer and see if I can book a place for us."

***

"Tobs, come on, lets go."

Tobin lifts her head up and pulls her headphones down around her neck.

Kling stands expectantly in front of Tobin, bouncing around, trying to pump herself up before the game.

Tobin leaves her headphones in her locker, checking her phone one last time before the start of the game.

Christen: [Good luck babe! I'll be watching from my perch!]

Tobin smiles, knowing Christen will be in the box seats watching from above the whole game. Although Christen had been to plenty of her games already, she still feels a tinge of excitement and nervousness at the thought of Christen watching her play. Before Tobin has a chance to respond, she's pulled from her seat into the huddle of bouncing yelling bodies as they try to hype each other up for the game.

The game is hard fought. Tobin spends a good portion of her time in her defensive end of the field, thwarting wave after wave of attack. Finally, Kling manages to tackle the ball away from the other team and Tobin tracks with her down the flank, ready for her to play her the ball in the counter attack. Kling weaves through players all the way down the field and finally ends her run with a pass toward Tobin just outside of the box. With a couple defenders closing in on her, Tobin does her usual shake and bake to rid herself of her marks, and flicks the ball up toward the goal to an onrushing Allie. Towering over the defenders, Allie jumps to head the ball into the upper corner, just past the goalie's fingertips. The team rushes around Allie, congratulating her with hugs and pats on the back. When she's finally released from her team mates, Allie rushes toward Tobin, picking her up and complimenting her amazing assist. When Tobin's put back down, she looks up into the stands, eyes searching the familiar spot for those green eyes. She sees Christen standing against the railing, arms up in celebration. Tobin gives her a wide smile, hoping Christen can see it from the field.

They manage to hold off the other team for the rest of the game end with a shutout. The locker room is wild as the players celebrate their victory with loud music playing and sweaty dancing. Tobin joins in the fun, bouncing up and down with her teammates to the beat, enjoying the rush of the win.

Tobin feels an arm wrap snugly around her neck from behind. "Tobin! We're going out! We haven't seen you since you started shacking up with Christen. You owe us. You owe us!" Allie shouts in her ear before Tobin has a chance to make an excuse to back out.

Allie releases her grip on Tobin and looks at her expectantly "Yeah? Yeah?"

Tobin relents and nods her head yes with a roll of her eyes. Of course she wanted to celebrate alone with Christen, but she knew Allie was right. She had abandoned her friends just a tiny bit the past month or so since she and Christen started getting more serious. It was time to give some much needed attention to her friends.

"Oh, and bring Christen. I saw the googley eyes you were sending up to the box seats after we scored so I know she's here. You need to learn to share anyway."

"What are you talking about, I'm great at sharing!" Tobin defends herself.

Allie gives her an incredulous look, "Really?we haven't seen either of you outside of training in weeks."

Tobin opens her mouth to refute this, but realizes Allie is right.

Allie gives her a pat on the back before turning to leave the locker room "Alright champ, shower up and grab your woman. We'll meet you at the bar."

Tobin quickly showers and changes into her street clothes and rushes out to meet Christen. When she exits the park, she sees the green eyed girl and a smile instantly forms on her face. Tobin crashes into her, wrapping her arms around Christen's waist in a tight hug.

"Hey you, great game. You looked good out there." Christen breathes into Tobin's wet hair.

"Thanks for coming. I know it's not really your thing." She pulls away from Christen, pulling her hair back from her face.

"Of course I came! I wanted to see you in action." Christen exclaims, giving Tobin's hand a squeeze. "And now I want to see you in action with fewer clothes on." Christen says playfully.

Tobin blushes and lets out a chuckle. "As good as that sounds, I actually have a favor to ask you."

Christen tilts her head to the side, intrigued. "Ok? What would that be?"

"So Allie and some of the other girls are going out to the bar tonight, and they kinda called me out for not being very social lately, so I got roped into going and so did you." Tobin reveals, hoping the change in plans doesn't make Christen upset. "Is that ok?"

"Of course babe. Allie's right, we haven't seen them in a while. As much as I like having you all to myself, we should probably branch out a bit before my couch has permanent molds of our asses on it."

They drive to the bar the team usually meets at after their home games and find that much of the team is already inside. When Tobin and Christen enter the bar, they're met with a loud hollar from across the bar "HAARRRYYY!"

From the back of the bar, Allie comes barreling toward them, sloshing her half finished beer on the floor as she wraps both of them up in a tight hug.

"Hi Harry." Tobin chokes out, trying to get in a breath.

Allie releases them and acknowledges Christen. "And here's who I really wanted to see tonight!" She wraps Christen up in another squeeze. "How are you? Tobin's been hiding you from us!"

Christen reciprocates the hug graciously. "I know, we haven't been great at sharing the past couple of weeks."

"See! Told you you weren't sharing!" Allie says, pointing her finger at Tobin.

Tobin just shakes her head and smiles at her friend. Allie continues, "Well come over here with the rest of us! We have pitchers and this guy at the bar keeps buying us shots!"

"That would explain how you got drunk so fast." Tobin jokes

Allie wags her finger "No no, not drunk. Ladies don't get drunk. I'm just in good spirits. Get it?! Spirits?!"

Tobin and Christen exchange a look and burst into laughter, and follow Allie back to where the rest of the team is mingling.

After a couple beers and some shots from the sketchy guy at the bar, Tobin and Christen are closer to the level of the rest of the team. Tobin sits at a table, conversing with her teammates, watching Christen dance with some of the others several yards away. She's mesmerizing. Tobin isn't usually one for dancing, but the alcohol in her system has loosened her up, and the sight of Christen's hips swaying to the music pulls her to the dance floor. Christen is dancing with Allie, laughing and smiling at the blonde. Wordlessly, Tobin comes in behind Christen, wrapping her arms around her waist and moving her hips in time with Christen's.

"Oh sure, by all means, cut in and steal Christen away from me again." Allie says sarcastically, giving the two a smile as she finds another dance partner.

"Hi baby." Tobin breathes into Christen's ear, leaning into her further.

"Hi Ms. 'I don't dance.'" Christen says over her shoulder.

"I couldn't help myself. You look fucking sexy." Tobin's voice lowers, laced with want.

Her hands roam from Christen's waist, across her stomach, and down her thighs. She can feel Christen's ass pushing into her hips, sending shivers of pleasure down to her core. They mold together, undulating to the music, unconcerned with the people around them whistling at them. Christen spins around and circles her arms around Tobin's neck, pulling them together tightly. They dance to several more songs, lost in each other, until a comment by Kling pulls them from their trance. "Get a room you guys!" She yells across the bar.

Christen detaches from Tobin, giving her a light peck on the cheek as a consolation for the lack of contact. "She's right you know. Wanna head back to my place?" Christen suggests.

Tobin merely nods in agreement.

"Ok, let me just pee real quick and then we can head out." Christen gives Tobin another quick peck on the lips before walking toward the bathroom in the back of the bar.

Tobin finishes off the last gulp of her beer, setting the empty glass on a nearby table and wiping the remainder off her mouth with the back of her hand. Feeling a sudden surge of confidence undoubtedly brought on by her level of intoxication, she gets up and follows Christen into the bathroom with purpose and a fire in her eyes.

As she strides into the small room, she catches the door to the stall right before Christen has a chance to close it behind her.

Christen gives her a confused look. "Tobin, what are you--"

Tobin steps in and closes the door behind her. "I couldn't wait to get back to your place."

With that, Tobin pushes Christen against the wall and crashes their lips together. Christen lets out a moan at the forceful contact and brings her fingers up to tangle in Tobin's hair. Tobin runs her hands up and down Christen's waist and ribs, feeling her chest rising and falling rapidly against her hands. Tobin's lips move desperately against Christen's, tasting the remnants of beer on her lips and tongue. Their mouths open together and Tobin lets her tongue glide effortlessly across Christen's, careful to take in every sensation. Tobin then moves from her lips and kisses across Christen's jaw down to her neck, sucking and gently biting at the delicate skin, surely leaving a mark.

"Fuck, Tobin." Christen manages to get out in a sigh.

Tobin continues on Christen's neck and slides her hands under the hem of Christen's shirt, feeling the hot smooth skin of her torso against her fingertips. Tobin slots her thigh between Christen's legs and leans into her, providing some relief for both girls. Christen responds in kind, rocking her center painstakingly slowly against Tobin's muscular leg, spurring Tobin on even further. Tobin's hands rise up Christen's torso and cup her breasts over her bra, feeling Christen's hardened nipples through the fabric.

Suddenly, the stall door swings open and both girls jump in panic.

"Oh shit guys! When I said get a room I didn't mean here." Kling dramatically shields her eyes and lets the door swing shut.

"Sorry." Tobin yells from behind the stall door.

"Yeah yeah, would you just finish up so I can pee?" Kling says dismissively.

Tobin and Christen share a look and giggle to each other. "Come on, we can finish this at my condo." Christen snickers quietly to Tobin.

They exit the stall and let Kling past them as she grumbles to herself about PDA. Tobin quickly says her goodbyes to her remaining teammates and leads Christen out of the bar into the crisp night air. They walk down the dimly lit sidewalk, unable to keep their hands off each other, stopping under awnings or in alcoves to kiss as they loiter.

When they finally manage to make it to Christen's building, Christen swipes her key to get them in, and they make their way onto the elevator, still draped all over each other. Christen haphazardly presses the button to her floor and quickly returns her hands to Tobin's body. Tobin knows from the many elevator rides up to Christen's condo that there's a small camera in the corner and the late night security guard is undoubtedly getting quite the show, but this thought is fleeting and unimportant as she searches Christen's body, desperate for more contact.

The elevator dings and they break apart just enough to step onto Christen's floor. So engrossed by their giggling and playful touches, neither of them notice the figure standing in the hallway in front of Christen's condo door. A woman's voice echoes down the hall toward them.

"Christen?"

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who's the mystery woman? I'd love to hear predictions...


	12. Chapter 12

"Christen?"

Christen's smile fades as she squints to get a better look at the woman standing in front of her door.

"Julie?"

Tobin couldn't quite make it out, but Christen's face was some combination of shock, joy, sadness, and apprehension, though Tobin couldn't decipher which was the prevailing emotion.

The woman speaks again in a gentle tone. "Yeah, it's me. Sorry for dropping in on you like this, I just--I wasn't sure where else to go."

By this time, Christen had fully released Tobin and began slowly walking toward the blonde in front of them, leaving Tobin feeling a touch uneasy about the situation.

Christen approaches the girl and wraps her in a somewhat stilted hug. "How did you even find me here? I didn't tell anyone back in Chicago where I was moving."

"I know. I kind of stalked you a little. I asked that yoga instructor friend of yours if I could have your address. Sorry, I know you wanted to come out here for a clean slate, and me showing up doesn't really help that situation."

Tobin watches Christen's face fall at this last comment, and the two stand silently facing each other, the tension between them obvious. Tobin looks back and forth between them, her stomach tightening as she watches their interaction. Feeling a bit overlooked, she clears her throat to break the silence.

Christen is jolted from her trance. "Oh. Oh! Julie this is Tobin. Tobin, Julie."

Tobin extends her arm to shake Julie's hand. She tries her best to plaster on a convincing smile. "Hi. Nice to meet you." Looking more closely at the blonde, the pieces click into place. "You must be Christen's old roommate."

"Yeah I am. I hope she hasn't told you too many horror stories." Julie attempts to joke, but it falls flat as Tobin just stares at her blankly.

"So Tobin are you Christen's roommate?" Julie says, trying to keep the conversation moving.

"Girlfriend actually." Tobin knows her tone is abrasive, but she feels protective or maybe a little territorial around this girl with whom Christen has a history.

"Oh! Well good for you. You two are beautiful together." Julie says, looking between the two.

Sensing Tobin's growing annoyance, Christen interjects. "Uh, why don't we go inside, relax a bit. I'm sure you're tired from traveling Julie."

Christen unlocks her door and lets Julie walk in with her small duffle bag. As Tobin walks past Christen, she's given an apologetic look from the green eyed girl, indicating this was just as much of a shock to her as it was for Tobin.

Christen closes the door behind them and flicks on lights to illuminate her condo. "So I have a spare bedroom and bathroom down that way if you want to put your stuff in there. Do you want a drink or anything? I have some beer in the fridge or some wine maybe?"

Julie shuffles into the apartment further, taking in her surroundings. "Uh, would it be alright if I take a shower and then maybe we could...talk?" Julie suggests

Christen hesitates somewhat before answering. "Oh. Uh, yeah. Ok."

Julie offers her a small smile before heading toward the spare room and bathroom.

As Tobin watches this whole interaction unfold, she goes from perturbed, to annoyed, to mad, to fuming. There's something about the vibe between these two that just doesn't sit right with Tobin. When Julie closes the bathroom door behind her and Tobin hears the water start running, she spins toward Christen. "What the hell is going on? Why is she here?" Tobin whispers harshly.

"Babe, I honestly have no idea what's going on. This is totally out of left field for me." Christen says defensively.

"I just--who mysteriously shows up on the doorstep of someone who was in love with them, and then asks if they can stay over and 'talk'."

Tobin tries to quell the frustration in her voice, but the slight tremble gives her away.

Christen runs her hands up and down Tobin's arms. "Baby, I know it's weird, but we were best friends at one point in our lives. You don't have anything to worry about, ok? Let me just talk to her and see what's going on before you throw me over your shoulder and climb up the side of the building like King Kong. Is that fair?"

Tobin takes a calming deep breath, knowing that she's right. "Sorry. I just got protective."

Christen smiles at her. "You're jealous."

Tobin's brows furrow. "What? No I'm not."

Christen chuckles a bit. "Yeah you are. It's ok, I get it. I'd be weary too if your ex crush walked in asking to spend the night." Christen gives Tobin a reassuring kiss on the cheek. "It's kinda cute."

Tobin hears the shower turn off. "I'm just gonna go to bed so you guys can 'talk' or whatever." Tobin says, still a little miffed by the whole situation.

Christen nods, pulling her into an embrace. "Thanks babe. I'll come to bed when we're done."

Tobin pads into Christen's room feeling completely sobered by this sudden turn of events. She strips off her clothes that still smell like the bar and changes into one of Christen's old tshirts. Climbing under the covers, exhaustion overtakes Tobin and she falls asleep easily.

***

The next morning, Tobin wakes up to an empty bed. She hadn't felt Christen come in last night and her side of the bed remained cold. Now fully awake, Tobin swings her legs over the bed and gets up, trying to settle the little voice inside her telling her something's not right.

She walks into the common area and surveys the room. Her eyes land on the sectional where Christen lay huddled in the fetal position without a blanket. Tobin grabs the throw from the nearby armchair and lays it atop the sleeping woman. She squats down in front of Christen and strokes her hair gently, placing a gentle kiss on her pillowy lips. This causes the girl to stir slightly. Her eyes remain close but a slight smile forms on her lips as she mumbles sweetly "Julie".

Tobin retracts her hand instantly from Christen as if she'd touched a burning stove. The uneasy feeling in her stomach returns with fervor. "What the fuck."

As Christen opens her eyes, she recognizes the look of betrayal on Tobin's face and immediately shakes the sleep from her body, rolling into a state of panic. She jolts up to a sitting position, grabbing for the hand of Tobin who had already stood up from her spot. "Tobin? What? What happened? What's wrong?"

The pain in Tobin's eyes is apparent as she speaks. "I thought you said I had nothing to worry about."

Confused, Christen racks her brain for an answer as to why Tobin would be in this state. "Tobin, I don't understand. Tell me what's going on."

Feeling the anger bubble up inside her, Tobin finally bursts "You fucking said Julie's name after I kissed you! What the hell am I supposed to think about that?!"

Flabbergasted, Christen's face contorts in confusion. "What? I was asleep! I didn't know what I was doing! I was probably just having a weird dream or something!" Christen tries to defend herself.

Tobin scoffs sarcastically "Oh so you dream about her, good to know."

"Oh come on. That's not fair. That's not what I meant."

Tobin's voice rises "Fair? You want to talk about fair? How about the fact that you used me to get over her. How's that for fair. Don't worry, I get it now. I was the rebound. And judging by your reaction, I guess fucking me didn't help you get over her. Sorry I couldn't be of more use to you."

"Tobin come on, that's not what this is." Christen tries to persuade Tobin, but the tears welling up in her eyes are unconvincing.

"Really? It sure fucking feels like it." Tobin stands above the couch with her arms crossed sternly in front of her chest, looking down at Christen who stares back at her wordlessly.

Tobin lets out a frustrated sigh and turns toward the bedroom "This is fucking bullshit".

"Where are you going?" Christen's voice is small and sad, already knowing the answer to her question.

Tobin grabs her clothes from the floor, pulling them onto her body haphazardly. "I'm going back to my apartment, I'm not dealing with this right now. You need to figure this shit out."

Without so much as a glance over her shoulder, Tobin storms out of the apartment feeling resentment and rejection balled tightly in her chest. As she rides the elevator down to the lobby, the tears she had been holding back finally make their way to her eyes and flow down her cheeks. As she steps onto the street illuminated by the early morning light, she pulls out her phone to call an uber to take her home, desperate to get home and curl up in the comfort of her bed to shut out the world for a while.

As she sits in the back of the stranger's car, she berates herself internally for being so naive. She shakes her head at herself, sighing as she wipes the remaining tears from her eyes.

"One night stand gone wrong?" The driver asks from the front seat.

Tobin scoffs, amused by this question. "Yeah, you could say that."

"You ok?" He asks

Tobin leans her head against the window, despondent. "Perfect"

 


	13. Chapter 13

Several days go by without so much as a call or text from Christen. With every hour that passes, Tobin sinks lower and lower, the sense of rejection and betrayal plaguing her thoughts. She had gone into this relationship so blindly, never quite realizing how much of herself she was actually investing in Christen, trusting her with her undamaged heart, naive to the fact that entrusting this piece of herself meant there was a chance Christen could break her. If this is what heartbreak felt like, Tobin now understands why so many songs are written about this hopeless, defeated feeling.

Tobin's torn between desperately wanting to talk to Christen, longing to hear her voice, and spiraling into a plate-throwing, door-punching rage. It's this contradiction that keeps her suffering in silence, unable to reach out and contact Christen, scared of what she might say or do.

In the locker room, after a particularly bad day of practice, Tobin sits on a bench, shoving her gear into a duffle bag to take home.

As other players filter out of the locker room, Kling takes a seat next to Tobin. "Hey man, I don't mean to pry or anything, but are you ok? You've been kind of off at practice and I noticed you've been spending more time at the apartment the past few days--Not that I don't love having you there or anything, it's just you're usually with Christen is all."

Tobin sighs, head hanging below her slumped shoulders. "Yeah, things are kinda fucked right now." She looks around the locker room and turns to Kling. "You think we could go back on the field or something for a bit?"

The two return to the pitch, passing a ball back and forth between them. They had always been better at having these types of conversations when there was a distraction.

Kling breaks the ice. "So things with Christen take a nosedive or something?"

Tobin focuses on trapping the ball and juggles it a few times before passing it back. "So after our game a couple days ago, this girl that Christen was in love with back in Chicago just showed up at her doorstep. Christen told me there was nothing to worry about, but they stayed up and talked all night and then the next morning when I go to wake her up and kiss her, she says the other girl's name."

Kling focuses on the ball at her feet. "Hm. So what's going on?"

"Well, I figure I was just a rebound for Christen and she's still in love with this girl. At this point they're probably planning the wedding."

"Woah woah woah. That's a big assumption there Tobs."

"Ok maybe not planning the wedding, maybe renting a uhaul to move in."

"No I mean, how do you even know you were a rebound, or that Christen still has feelings for her?"

Tobin scoffs at this question. "Kling, she called me the wrong name! Clearly she was thinking about Julie when I kissed her!"

"Ok for one, I have said the wrong name to plenty of girls doing far more intimate things. Secondly, you said they talked all night, maybe she just had a weird dream about it cus that was the last thing she thought about before she went to sleep. And C, did she even say she still had feelings for this girl?"

Tobin takes all this information into consideration. "I mean, she didn't deny it when I said it."

"Maybe she was just thrown off guard because it was such a crazy conclusion you jumped to, and she just didn't know how to respond. I have a feeling you might be overreacting. Christen seems totally into you."

Tobin kicks the ball between her feet a few times as she ponders this. "Maybe. But what if I'm right?"

Kling lets out a sigh. "Well, if you're right, then welcome to the lonely hearts club. But I'd talk to her before you get your membership card stamped."

Tobin nods in agreement, mulling over everything internally.

After a few more minutes on the field, Kling leaves Tobin alone, knowing she needs some time to herself in her sanctuary. Tobin stands in the middle of the pitch, juggling the ball, trying to distract herself as her mind races. When her calves start burning and her ankles start to ache, she finally packs up and lugs her gear out to her car in the nearly empty lot.

As Tobin stands next to her car, keys in hand, she hears someone call out to her.

"Tobin, hey hold up."

Tobin looks over her shoulder to see Julie walking briskly over to her.

"I need to talk to you." Julie says as she comes to stand in front of Tobin.

Tobin turns back toward her car and slots the key into the lock, opening her car door up. "I have nothing to say to you." She says to the inside of her car.

"Yeah but I have something to say to you." Julie grabs her arm, gently tugging it to get Tobin to spin back around.

Tobin sighs and turns back around, crossing her arms in front of her chest defensively, waiting for Julie to speak. "Tobin, I know I'm the last person you want to see right now, but I can't let Christen do this to herself. I know how happy you make her and how much she wants to be with you."

"Well that's a little hard to believe. I haven't heard from her in four days." Tobin practically snarls. "And you're right, you are the last person I want to see right now, so just leave me the fuck alone so you can go ruin more relationships."

"Tobin, that's not what was supposed to happened. Listen, I know that Christen was in love with me and that's hard for you, but that was before she met you. When we talked that night, you were all she could talk about. She was beaming, telling stories about the two of you and how much she cares about you. What I'm trying to say is, I don't ever think I'd seen her that happy before."

Tobin stands against her car silently, her head drops and her gaze finds the cracks in the pavement. Julie continues. "I've also never seen her this upset before. She told me what happened. I keep trying to tell her it was just a stupid mistake and to just talk to you about it and clear everything up, but she's too wound up and can't bring herself to call you. So I'm stepping in."

Julie takes another step closer to Tobin. Her voice drops to just above a whisper, but is laced with a new intensity. "Tobin, you can't let her go because of this. She's too good, and kind, and important to loose. She loves you, and if you can't see that, then maybe she's wrong about how amazing you are."

Tobin looks up from the ground, meeting Julie's gaze. "Just talk to her, please." Julie pleads.

Tobin relents and gives a single nod to indicate her intention to do so before Julie steps back and walks in the direction of the only remaining car in the parking lot.

Throwing the rest of her things into her car, she decides to finally text Christen, knowing she won't feel better until she talks to her. Her thumbs hover anxiously over her phone as she musters up the courage to type out a message.

Tobin: [Hey, can we meet somewhere and talk?]

Christen: [Yeah, I'm finishing up some paperwork at the studio. You want to meet me at that coffee shop on the corner in 20 minutes?]

Tobin: [Yeah that works. See you in a bit.]

Tobin gets to the coffee shop with a few minutes to spare and grabs a table after she orders. While she waits, she pulls out her phone to keep her hands and mind occupied. A few minutes later, a coffee is placed in front of her and when she looks up to thank the barista, Christen is standing there in front of her.

"It had your name written on it so I figured it was probably yours. I've never met any other Tobins in this city." She puts her bag down and slides into the chair across from Tobin. "Sorry I'm a little late."

Tobin waves her hand dismissively. "No you're fine, I was kinda early actually."

They sit wordlessly a few moments, neither knowing where to begin until Christen finally breaks the heavy silence. "I'm not still in love with her. I want you to know that."

Tobin looks up from her coffee and searches Christen's face for any kind of insincerity, but finds only the genuine, kind eyes she'd become so accustomed to these days. Seeing this, Tobin nods in understanding, truly accepting Christen's earnest words.

Christen treads lightly, still weary of Tobin's emotional state. "That night we talked, she just wanted to apologize for how she treated me. I guess she and her boyfriend broke up, that's why she was here. She just needed someone to talk to because her life kind of fell apart afterward. She said she realized she'd abandoned all her friends to be with him, and she came back to me because we had always had a connection. I know this isn't what you want to hear, but she'll always have a place in my heart, even though she broke it. She's still my friend at the end of it all."

Tobin nods along, trying to take in all this information. Christen continues. "That morning when you kissed me, I honestly couldn't tell you why her name came out of my mouth. Maybe because she was suddenly back in my life or because we had talked all night. I don't know."

Christen lets out a heavy sigh, clearly battling with something internally as she struggles to verbalized her thoughts. She leans forward in her chair, making sure to capture Tobin's gaze before she begins again. "Tobin, the truth is--I love you. I wish that the first time I got to say that was under better circumstances, but I'm scared if I don't say it now, I might not get the chance to say it at all. Remember that day we went paddle boarding, and I told you that I didn't want to be that girl that breaks your heart? That's still true. I don't want to lose you."

Christen sits with her hands in her lap, all her cards laid out on the table, waiting for Tobin's response.

Tobin sits idly for a moment, taking in Christen's outpouring, unsure how to react to everything she'd just been told. She starts her response barely above a whisper. "That's a lot to process" She says simply.

Christen bites her lip, remaining quiet, hoping Tobin won't completely shut down. Tobin shifts in her seat, stirring her coffee idly, deep in thought.

"So you're not still in love with Julie."

Christen nods

"But you still love her."

Christen briefly hesitates before nodding again.

Tobin's eyes rise from the coffee between her hands to find Christen's vulnerable green eyes "And you're in love with me?" She questions.

A sweet closed mouth smile forms on Christens lips, her head bobbing up and down.

Tobin sighs and runs her fingers through her hair. "Okay."

Silence falls over them again but Christen dare not speak and break the brunette's concentration. Tobin's leg starts jiggling beneath the table as she stares into her coffee like a crystal ball, clearly organizing her thoughts before she finds the words to speak.

Tobin takes another deep breath. "When I left that morning, I was so fucking hurt--I was so fucking mad at you. I felt like I had lost you, or worse, that I'd never had you at all. God, I was so mad at you, but I still wanted you. That was the worst part. I couldn't pull myself away from thinking of you, and wanting you, and I tried so hard to shut out those feelings so I wouldn't feel so hurt, but I just couldn't."

Tobin's eyes start brimming with tears and she brings her sleeve to the corner of her eye to dab away the inevitable. "Chris, you're my first love--I love you." Tobin glances up to meet Christen's gaze again

She sniffles a little as the tears start flowing freely down her cheeks. "And you better not fucking scare me like that again ok?" She says with a small chuckle, rubbing her nose with her already tear stained sleeve.

Christen smiles and reaches across the table to cup Tobin's cheek in her hand, rubbing away the salty trail with her thumb. "Cross my heart."

They sit together in the coffee shop as the outside world spins around them, soaking in each other's vulnerability, both splayed wide open for the other to see. It's not pretty, it's not romantic, it's not perfect, but it's real. Confrontation had finally knocked the final layers of their respective walls to rubble. And now, as they sit together in the wreckage, they can finally start building a new relationship together with the pieces that remain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I debated making this really angsty and drawing it out offer the course of a few chapters but couldn't bring myself to do it. Did I make the right decision?


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little pillow talk and...pre-pillow talk

After an emotionally draining conversation in the coffee shop, Christen suggests they go back to her apartment to relax and reconnect in a more private setting. Tobin follows Christen out of the coffee shop and down a couple blocks to her nearby condo. They walk together wordlessly, but when Christen laces her fingers with Tobin's, all feels right in the world, and Tobin can't help the giant smile that makes its way across her lips. All the tension she had felt in the days leading up to today melt away with this simple gesture.

When they get to the condo, it's surprisingly still.

"Julie? You here?" Christen calls out into the apartment. When there's no answer, she walks back toward the spare bedroom and also finds it empty with the bed made and no sign of another human occupying the space at all.

"All her stuff is gone." Christen reports as she comes back to meet Tobin in the kitchen.

"Looks like she left a note." Tobin says, pointing at a piece of paper on the kitchen counter.

"Christen,

Thanks for letting me crash with you a few days while I got my life all sorted out. And thanks for just being there for me. You have no idea how much it means to me that we finally got to reconnect even though it was due to a breakup. But silver lining, I feel like I have my friend back! :) I hope everything works out with Tobin, she seems like a good girl. I may have gone and talked to her since I feel partially to blame for what happened (don't worry, I didn't beat her up too bad). Let me know how it goes. I'm rooting for you two! Stay in touch and let me know the next time you're in Chicago so I can try and pay you back for the past few days.

Love,

Julie"

Tobin watches Christen read the paper, taking note of the small conflicted smile on her face. Christen turns to Tobin. "She talked to you?"

"Yeah. She kind of helped convince me to text you. Said you really liked me and I made you really happy or something like that." Tobin says with a playful grin.

"Oh did she now. Good thing it didn't go straight to your head." Christen says with a chuckle.

"Nah, you're the cocky one, not me." Tobin challenges

"What?! I'm not cocky! I'm confident, there's a difference." Christen defends

"Oh yeah? What's the difference" Tobin questions with a grin, loving that she winding the girl up.

Christen hesitates a moment, thinking of the right phrasing. A devious smile forms on her lips. "Well if I was cocky..." Christen steps closer to Tobin placing her hands on her hips and guiding her backward until her lower back hits against the counter. Christen presses her body into Tobin and continues "...I would do something like this...." she trails off again, bringing her lips up to Tobin's neck just below her jawline, and attaches them to the spot, lightly sucking on the area and swirling her tongue along the delicate skin. She plants another gentle kiss to soothe the spot and picks up where she left off, whispering lowly in Tobin's ear "...and I'd know you fucking love it."

Christen leans back a bit to take stock of Tobin's reaction. Tobin audibly swallows, her throat suddenly dry. She can feel her heart racing and blood rushing through her body, flushing her skin and causing a familiar sensation in her core. God she'd missed the way Christen made her melt like this.

Tobin licks her lips before she speaks "So how's that different from being confident?" Tobin tries desperately to mask the waver of arousal in her voice, trying to play along as long as possible and not appear so easy to unravel.

Christen's fingers that had previously been circling the skin of her hip bones make their way to the front of Tobin's jeans, playing with the the button, teasing Tobin with what they wanted to do. "If I was cocky, I wouldn't have to ask how wet you are right now. I'd just know that your underwear is soaking, waiting for me to touch you."

Tobin's eyes slam shut and she shudders, biting her lip hard to stifle the moan threatening to escape her mouth. When Christen's lips crash against hers, she can't contain herself anymore, and Tobin releases a breathy sigh into Christen's open mouth. Their tongues battle for dominance, but Tobin quickly concedes, allowing Christen to take charge of this situation as she licks inside her hot mouth.

Tobin feels Christen's fingers that had previously been toying with the button of her jeans finally rip them open, shoving the pants past her ass and down her muscular thighs in one fluid motion. Christen's hands come back up to find Tobin's ass, squeezing roughly until Tobin feels herself being lifted onto the counter.

A bit caught off guard, Tobin pulls back to catch her breath and is met by the lustful eyes of Christen. Christen's eyes scan up and down Tobin as she sits panting on the counter. A smirk creeps onto Christen's lips when she sees the arousal written all over Tobin's face and the dampness of the fabric covering her center. "Ok, maybe I am cocky."

With that, Christen pulls off the remaining clothing below Tobin's waist. Tobin pushes up with her arms and raises her hips to allow Christen to pull off her underwear, and shivers, feeling the cold granite of the countertop against her bare skin. This slight discomfort is quickly forgotten when she feels Christen close the gap between them, sliding her fingers through Tobin's wet slit.

"Fuck." Tobin calls out, all inhibition lost. She immediately begins rocking her hips against Christen's fingers as they delicately tease the sensitive area. All the tension that had built up between them, all the anger and frustration, was suddenly being released on each other in this moment. Their bodies screaming out at each other, needing contact after their brief disconnect. Just as Tobin's getting adjusted to the sensation, Christen adds another trick, bringing her free hand up under Tobin's shirt, grazing her hardened nipple over her thin sports bra. Tobin arches into Christen's touch, thoroughly enjoying the way she holds her breast, circling her thumb around the taught peak.

The desperation in Tobin's moans become more apparent as her hips thrust impatiently against Christen's fingers. "Chris, I need more."

Christen latches her mouth onto Tobin's shoulder. The stinging of teeth against her skin is an exquisite contrast to the pleasure of Christen's fingers against her.

"Tell me what you want." Christen pants in her ear.

Tobin's arms burn from supporting her weight as she tries desperately to get more contact against her center. "Fuck me. Fingers, mouth, I don't care. I just want you to fuck me harder. I need more."

Christen's lips smile against the skin of Tobin's neck. "Don't worry baby, I got you."

Suddenly, Tobin feels two fingers slide inside her. She gasps and throws her arms around Christen' shoulders as she keens wildly against Christen's fingers, urging them to go deeper. Christen pumps her fingers skillfully in and out of Tobin, dragging her curled fingers against her walls as they tighten and spasm against the digits.

"Oh fuck, Chris. Keep going." Tobin no longer feels the burning in her muscles or the cold of the countertop, all she feels is the pull low in her hips as she comes barreling toward the edge of climax.

Christen too begins rocking into Tobin, matching the pace, which causes her palm to hit against Tobin's clit with every meeting of their hips. Tobin's eyes shut tightly, focused only on the pleasure coursing through her body. Finally, with a stream of expletives and moans escaping her lips, Tobin's body quakes as she lets the orgasm surge through her body, feeling every nerve ending light up at once in a wave of ecstasy. As she comes down, her grasp on Christen loosens and she gradually lets her arms fall from her shoulders as she leans back against the cabinets behind her. She exhales deeply and feels a light sheen of sweat cover her body, making her shirt stick to her.

"Fuck Chris." She breathes out, head still thrown back against the cabinets. "That was so good."

Christen moves her hands to the tops of Tobin's thighs and places gentle kisses along the column of her exposed neck. "Good. I like being the only one who makes you come."

Tobin tilts her head forward with a smile and locks eyes with Christen. "Yeah, me too."

There's a brief pause between them as they both silently appreciate each other in this moment. "I love you." Tobin whispers, as if divulging a secret, still getting used to the way it sounds out loud.

Christen leans forward, resting her forehead against Tobin's, and brings her hand up to stroke the soft skin of her cheek with her thumb. "I love you too."

Tobin hops down from the counter, grabbing her discarded pants on the ground. Walking through the kitchen with her ass bare, Christen can't help herself and gives Tobin a playful smack as she walks past. Tobin yelps in response, staring Christen down with a knowing look over her shoulder.

Tobin walks through the living room toward Christen's bedroom, her eyes inviting Christen to follow. Christen, still thoroughly turned on from their activities in the kitchen, eagerly follows Tobin, needing to be taken care of herself.

They land in the bed together, discarding clothes quickly and efficiently. No preamble is needed and Tobin makes quick work of the girl beneath her. She kisses a trail down her chest, making sure to give attention to Christen's taught nipples, knowing how much she enjoys them being licked and sucked on. As she occupies Christen's chest with her mouth, Tobin snakes her hand between Christen's legs, feeling her arousal quickly coat her fingers as she slides them through her folds. Christen's hips quickly begin undulating beneath her as Tobin uses her finger to trace lazy circles around Christen's clit. Christen's moans become laced with desperation, urging Tobin to continue and offer her the relief she needs. Tobin knows she could get Christen off like this, but she wants more.

Despite Christen's protesting, Tobin removes her fingers briefly so that she can leave a trail of kisses down Christen's stomach and reposition herself between Christen's legs. She breathes in the intoxicating scent of Christen before taking a long slow lick, tasting her arousal on her tongue. Christen writhes against the mattress and tangles her fingers in Tobin's hair, pulling at the locks to communicate the urgency she feels. Tobin relents and drags her tongue over Christen's clit, slowly at first, but she soon picks up the pace as Christen's moans come with every exhale. Christen chants Tobin's name, coming closer and closer to climax. Tobin grabs Christen's ass firmly to gain some form of control as Christen bucks wildly into Tobin's mouth. And then, In unison, every muscle of Christen's body tightens and releases, her body melting into the mattress beneath her.

Tobin takes one last taste of the girl before crawling her way back up Christen's body, coming to rest on top of her with her head in the crook of her neck. She can feel Christen's racing pulse against her lips and she places careful kisses to the spot.

"I will never get sick of that." Christen sighs.

Tobin smiles, feeling the same sentiment.

As they rest silently together, skin flush to skin, Christen draws lazy circles across Tobin's back, lulling Tobin into a deeply relaxed state. A soft coo reverberating in Christen's throat pulls Tobin from her trance. "I'm the only girl you've ever had sex with, right?"

Tobin's brows furrow in confusion as she stammers out a response, unsure where Christen's going with this. "I mean, yeah. What, do I need some practice or something?" Tobin jokes

"What? No, no! That's not where I was going with that. Sorry--what I mean is, if I'm the only girl you've been with, do you ever feel like, you're missing out?"

"What, like missing out on having sex with other girls? No, I don't think I could even get a girl to have sex with me in the first place. You were a fluke." Tobin laughs at her own self-deprecating joke.

"Oh I know that's not true. You could have any girl you wanted. I'm just glad I snatched you up before you figured that out." Christen teases.

Their laughter dies down as they lay in bed together. Christen absentmindedly plays with Tobin's hair in the quiet which Tobin doesn't protest. Christen speaks again, sighing after some silent contemplation. "yeah, you aren't missing much anyway. That scene is stressful and not really all that fulfilling anyway. I think I function better in a relationship."

This piques Tobin's interest. "So what was pre-relationship Christen like? What was so bad about the dating scene?"

Christen hums, considering Tobin's question. "I don't know, after shit with Julie hit the fan, I kind of swore off falling in love with anyone. I didn't want to get my heart broken again you know? I went out a lot and slept with girls from bars to try and prove to myself that I didn't need a relationship or love. It just ended with a lot of disappointment and awkward morning afters."

Tobin chuckles. "Sounds familiar. I happened to be one of those awkward morning afters huh?"

Christen laughs. "Oh my god! That was so bad! I was so freaked out that you were a virgin and like, going to imprint on me like a baby duckling or something. That's a thing you know--seems like the opposite happened and I'm the one that imprinted on you." she says as an aside.

"Yeah what made you suddenly switch from completely rejecting me, to showing up to my game and asking me out? After basically being tossed out of your condo, I though for sure I'd never see you again."

"I don't know. I think you were just so genuine and sweet. You were different than the other girls I took home. With them it was almost like a game: who could be the hottest, or best in bed, or tease the longest. It was a constant power struggle. With you, it was--simple. And I don't mean that to sound condescending at all. I just mean you we're so genuine and actually seemed to enjoy being with me instead of just seeing me as a conquest or whatever. Not to mention you're completely gorgeous." Christen ends in a mocking voice, though both girls know she's very serious.

"I couldn't stop thinking about you that week, and I knew I had to see you or I'd always wonder about the sexy soccer girl that got away." Christen says with a playful grin. "I think you're the first girl I've ever been with where all the feelings are mutual. I mean, I'm assuming they're mutual at this point" Christen chuckles at her last comment.

Tobin perks up. "Oh, definitely. I think it was easy to fall for you too cus you were so open about stuff. No games, no bullshit. I felt like I knew what you were thinking and where you wanted to go with things. You sure made coming out easy for me."

"What can I say, I'm a natural leader. Consider me your gay spirit guide." Christen teases.

"Sounds good to me. You should put that on your business cards 'Christen Press: yoga instructor extraordinaire and shaman to the gays'. You'd make millions!"

Christen scoffs and lightly smacks Tobin's arm. "Alright smart ass."

As if on cue, Christen's stomach growls, loudly reminding her she hadn't eaten since breakfast. The two share a laugh and untangle themselves from the twisted sheets of the bed to search for food.

Tobin stands, watching Christen from across the room as she puts her clothes back on, not just admiring the curves of her body, but also her subtle idiosyncrasies. The way she puts her head through her shirt first before pushing her arms through the sleeves like a little kid. The way she tilts her head back and closes her eyes to wrangle her flowing hair into a messy bun that skews slightly to the left. The way she obsessively pats her pockets down to ensure her phone is always nearby. The way she lets out a single huff to mentally transition herself to another activity. All these things add up to make the most perfect puzzle piece to fit into Tobin, and Tobin can't help but feel more complete every time she's around the green-eyed beauty.


	15. Chapter 15

"Christen. Christen wake up, I have a surprise for you." Tobin gently rouses her girlfriend from her sleep, moving the errant hairs from her face to place sweet kisses along her cheek.

"Is it coffee? That would be a great surprise." Christen mumbles sleepily into her pillow, refusing to fully wake up.

"Nope. Come on, we have a big day ahead of us and I want to get on the road. I'll make the coffee while you get ready." Tobin bounces off the bed giving Christen a playful smack on the ass to get her moving.

Tobin hears Christen groaning as she walks out of the bedroom toward the kitchen to keep her promise of coffee. Tobin usually isn't a morning person, but today has her buzzing with energy. With her season finally over, Tobin now has a precious few weeks with no games, no training, no media, and no photo shoots scheduled. Although she had briefly thought about just being lazy and spending those weeks on the couch in a uniform of sweatpants and t-shirts, she decided that this would be the perfect time to go on a proper vacation and explore a new place with Christen. With Christen being such a planner, Tobin knew spurring a trip on her without prior notice would be stressful for her girlfriend. But to keep a little mystery around their travels, Christen begrudgingly agreed to let the destination be a surprise, and allow Tobin to handle the planning for once.

Tobin nestled herself against the corner of the counter while she listened to the coffee maker quietly brew a fresh pot. She grabbed two mugs from the cabinet and poured a cup for each of them.

As if drawn in by the scent of fresh coffee, Christen enters the kitchen, leaning against the island. "Have I ever told you how much I like watching you make coffee in my kitchen?" Christen jokes, her hair thrown in a haphazard bun without a stitch of makeup on, but just as beautiful as ever.

"Yeah, me and this coffee maker go way back." Tobin slides the mug over to Christen who smiles graciously in return.

Christen wraps her fingers around the mug, taking in it's warmth before blowing wisps of steam across the top to cool it. "So where are we headed at this ungodly hour?"

Tobin wags her finger "Uh, uh. No hints. I want it to be a surprise. Besides I'm sure you have some idea based on what I told you to pack."

Christen gives her a deadpan look "Tobin, you literally told me to pack a sweater, t shirts, tank tops, a jacket, and my bathing suit. Trust me, I have no clue where you're trying to whisk me away."

Tobin chuckles a little "I just want to be prepared I guess." She looks down at her watch and takes a swig of her coffee before rushing off to the bedroom to grab their luggage. "Ok, so I think we can make it there in time if we leave soon. It's about an hour and a half drive. You want to take your pillow so you can sleep in the car?"

"No I'll keep you company while we drive, wouldn't wanna miss out." Christen says, despite her yawn.

"Alright, lets load up!"

Still well before sunrise, the girls drive along the dark empty highway, only passing the occasional pair of headlights throughout their journey. As promised, Christen stays awake (barely) in the passenger seat, holding Tobin's hand or stroking her hair as she drives. They chat in spurts, but about nothing of consequence, content to let the radio fill the silence. After about an hour and a half, Tobin pulls of the highway onto a secluded road and slowly drives along the narrow path. Eventually, the pavement becomes dirt, and the foliage becomes denser. Finally, the car slows to a stop and Tobin throws the car in park. She hops out and jogs over to the small sign marking a well hidden trailhead before motioning for Christen to follow.

Christen slides out of the car apprehensively. "Tobin, you know I love you, but if you think taking me camping is how I want to spend the next few days I might have to reassess the virility of this relationship."

Tobin smiles at her "Just follow me, I promise you'll like it."

Christen follows behind Tobin as they walk farther into the woods on a worn dirt path until they reach a cabin nestled within the wooded area.

"Is this the surprise?" Christen asks, trying to quell her excitement.

"It gets better." Tobin offers over her shoulder.

They hop up a few steps onto a wooden wrap around porch and stop at the door. Tobin's head swivels around the area, searching for the flower pot where the key to the house is hidden. She kneels down beside the pot, lifting up the edge to grab the silver key beneath and presents it to Christen as if she'd just pulled Excalibur from the stone. Tobin unlocks the door and pushes it open, allowing Christen to enter first.

"Oh my gosh, Tobin. It's beautiful."

Tobin had already seen pictures of the interior online, but it didn't do it justice. The house is clean and homey with plush couches in the living room and a newly renovated kitchen to the side. But the star of the show is the floor to ceiling windows that line the back wall and look out onto the ocean. The house sits up on a small cliff and looks down on a secluded strip of beach between the rocky shore. Large evergreens line the cliffs and shield them from the cold ocean wind, creating gentle waves across the water. It's picturesque.

"What do you think?" Tobin asks, hoping she's made the right decision of where to take them.

Christen turns around to face Tobin. Her smile lights up the dimly lit room as she makes her way back over to Tobin, pulling her into a long kiss. When she finally releases Tobin, they both have to catch their breaths. "Tobin, it's perfect."

"Ok well I'm not done yet. I wanted to try and catch the sunrise on the ocean. We better hurry up, I don't want the early morning wake up call to be for nothing." Tobin pulls Christen along through the house down a short set of stairs until they hit the beach. Large rocks and boulders litter the edge, but eventually give way to sand and frigid waves. They find a rock to sit on and watch as the sun glistens across the water and paints the morning sky. They sit together silently, taking in the stillness around them, in awe of its beauty; a stark contrast to their daily life.

Tobin laces her fingers with Christen's and feels Christen rub her palm with her thumb, a habit she had formed over the past few months, not that Tobin was complaining. Christen leans her head on Tobin's shoulder, placing an absentminded kiss on her collarbone. "Thank you for taking me here." Christen whispers.

"Tobin turns her head to place a kiss on top of Christen's head "Of course. There's no one I'd rather be here with."

Tobin can feel Christen's cheeks tighten in a smile against her chest. "I love you."

"Love you too baby." Tobin purs back, placing another gentle kiss against the coarse dark hair.

With the sun taking it's place high in the sky, Tobin and Christen head back to the car and unload their luggage for the week. They take stock of their supplies and Christen immediately begins making a list of all the things they'd need to pick up at the store in town. They drive to the grocery store to get ingredients for meals, as well as a healthy supply of snack food and beer for the time in between meals. They're on vacation after all. They have to stop in a drug store for sunscreen and bug spray despite Tobin's insistence that they wouldn't need it (she would come to find out later she was very wrong about the bug spray), and make a final stop at the gas station to pick up a couple bundles of wood for the fire pit on the patio.

By the time they make it back, their stomachs are growling at them angrily for skipping breakfast. They settle on making quick PB&Js and scarf them down in record time. Feeling satiated, the couple stands together in the kitchen.

"So what should we do now?" Christen eagerly asks, but Tobin isn't listening. She's busy watching Christen wrap her lips around her fingers, sucking the sweet jelly from them one by one, dragging them out slowly against her lips, gliding her tongue along the length of her fingers as she licks them clean.

Tobin stammers "I...er--w-what?"

Christen smirks, gliding over closer to Tobin. She brings her hand up to the corner of Tobin's mouth, rubbing her index finger across her lip, removing a dab of peanut butter left behind. "I asked what we should do now, but I think I have a pretty good idea of what that should be." Christen's lingering index finger brushes along Tobin's lip. Tobin takes the digit into her mouth, swirling her tongue around it, licking it clean until Christen pulls it back through Tobin's lips.

"How's the peanut butter taste?" Christen asks coyly

"Not as good as you." Tobin taunts playfully

Christen's lips curl into a smirk "When did you get to be such a smooth talker?"

Tobin shrugs slightly "Well, you know what they say, you are what you eat."

Christen lets out a chuckle "Tobin Heath are you calling me a smooth talker?"

Tobin's cheeks heat up as she realizes the context of her words. "Actually I was referring to eating the peanut butter, but I like your interpretation. Much sexier." Tobin pulls Christen in by the waist and takes her lips between her own. Christen's hands instinctively tangle in Tobin's brunette locks and massage her base of her scalp. The kiss is familiar but heated, a combination of sensations the couple had grown accustomed to.

When they finally break apart to come up for air, Christen asks "So where's the tasting room in this house?"

Tobin grins devilishly and pulls Christen behind her, weaving through the house and up a set of stairs to the open bedroom loft. It's brightly bathed in sunlight from the large skylight windows which look up into the treetops. Tobin guides them to the bed and they fall together atop the feather-down comforter, quickly finding each other's lips again in this secluded paradise. Lustful desire takes over and they make quick work of one another, familiar enough with each other to know what the other likes, but still new enough that they make love with genuine enthusiasm and reverence for the other. They only rest a few minutes before falling into one another again. The second time is slower and more methodical, taking time to explore and build desperation, teasing until the other is begging for release. With both girls completely spent and satisfied, they lay together, basking in the sunlight pouring in from the ceiling.

Tobin's eyes flutter closed, lulled into deep relaxation from the feeling of Christen running her fingers through her hair. She lets out a content hum and nestles further into Christen's chest. "Let's just live here forever." Tobin coos

Christen hums in amusement 'What about soccer? You know you couldn't go more than a few days without putting your bare feet on a field."

Tobin just laughs, knowing her girlfriend is right. "You know me too well." She muses.

She looks up to find Christen gazing lovingly at her as she continues to run her fingers lightly across Tobin's arms and shoulder.

Tobin scrunches up her face in curiosity "What? Do I have something on my face?" She runs her hand over herself, brushing unruly baby hairs from her cheek.

Christen's smile widens "No, it's nothing. You're just--beautiful. I'm so lucky to have you."

Tobin props herself up and moves up Christen's body to capture her girlfriends lips in a gentle kiss. "I know the feeling."

Christen's face shifts ever so slightly and a slight look of concern settles in her eyes "Do you ever think we're taking things too fast?"

Tobin shakes her head "No. I mean, I think we're old enough to know when we're compatible with someone, and to know what we want out of life. We just clicked so easily so it didn't feel like we were going fast, because it felt like I'd known you all along. It was like meeting an old friend."

"Who you wanted to bang." Christen interjects crassly.

Tobin bursts into laughter. "Yeah, pretty much."

A silence falls over them and Tobin readjusts to lay next to Christen, their legs tangling together as Tobin pulls them closer together. Tobin's eyes flutter shut once again, content to lay in her lover's arms as long as she'll have her. Just before sleep takes her, she hears Christen whisper softly in her ear "Are you comfortable, love?"

"Perfect."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry to take so long to wrap this story up, I had severe writer's block and couldn't get anything down worth posting, hence why this chapter is a little on the short side. Thanks for all the love and comments! I'd like to write some one-shots or maybe a collection of one-shots if you guys have any ideas. Let me know in the comments!


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